top of page
Birds and Butterflies of Rhodes
RODOPTERA
Merops apiaster
European bee-eater. Greek: μελισσοφάγος. Kalathos, April 2023.
Breeding migrant, common and widespread. April to September. Decline in number of pairs over past two decades. Length 25-30 cm, wingspan 45-50 cm. Sexes similar. Main habitat mostly dry riverbeds in open country. Uses power lines and trees as hawking perches to launch sorties in pursuit of cicadas, wasps, bees, hornets. Very effective aerial hunter, alternates fast wing beats with gliding, performs dexterous striking manoeuvres. Hits and rubs venomous prey against perch to make it safe for consumption. Gregarious behaviour. Nests colonially in deep tunnel holes in river banks, bare hillsides. Single birds often provide feeding assistance to breeding parents; helper does not enter nest to feed young directly, but passes catch to parents on nearby perches. Bathes with exuberance by splash-diving in fresh-water pools. Very typical fluid call.
bottom of page