Bee Eaters

Their Care and Breeding
by Martin Vince, Riverbanks Zoo

These are large headed, long billed and very beautiful birds. In most of the 24 species the plumage is green with shades of red, yellow, black, blue or rufous. Tails are normally long with elongated central feathers as in the white-throated Merops albicollis (photo) and carmine Merops nubicus. Facial patterns are distinctive, with many species sporting a black mask (lores and ear-coverts) that makes the bill seem greater and more formidable. Species smaller than 35g tend to be sedentary and not very gregarious; species larger than 35g tend to be migratory and more or less highly colonial. (Fry; Keith; Urban 1988).

Bee eaters are insectivorous, eating mainly flying insects. The carmine bee eater also eats grasshoppers, locusts and rarely small fish. And it will even ride on the backs of animals, such as ostriches, antelope, elephants and warthogs, waiting to catch any insects that are flushed out. Carmine bee eaters are strongly attracted to bush fires preying upon fleeing insects. (Fry 1984). The white-throated bee eater Merops albicollis, is thought to be the only member of Meropidae to eat vegetable matter. In the rainforests of West Africa, squirrels feed on oil-palm nuts Elaeis guineensis. The bee eaters below, catch and eat the epicarp of the fruit dropped by the squirrels (Fry 1964 and Pettet 1969) The red-throated Merops bullocki is the third aviculturally familiar bee eater species. 2-10 birds per thousand have golden yellow throats instead of red. (Fry 1984). No specimens of this variant appear to be in captivity.

Most bee eaters avoid heavy forest, preferring lightly wooded or open country. They are normally found near rivers, swamps, lakes, coastal mangroves and flooded rice fields where food is abundant. Bee eaters typically perch on fences, telegraph wires and branches, waiting to chase virtually any airbourne insect upto 300' (91m) away. All species can eat dangerous insects such as bees, wasps and hornets, which are rendered harmless before being eaten: the tail (and sting) of the insect is rubbed against the perch to expresses the venom and often the sting itself.

Local, seasonal movements of bee eaters are fairly common, and a few species migrate many thousands of miles. The European bee eater Merops apiaster and blue-cheeked bee eater M. superciliosus breed in Europe and Asia, and migrate to Africa for the winter; and the Australian bee eater M. ornatus winters in the Lesser Sunda Islands and breeds in Australia. Most species can be found in North Africa, with a handful in the Middle East, Asia and South East Asia.

Size
Carmine: One of the largest species at 35cm. White-throated: 20 cm, and tail streamers 12 cm; very slender body of about 20g. Red-throated: 20-22 cm

Diet
35% insectivore diet **, 20% livefood, 10% finely chopped hard boiled egg, 5% finely sliced pinkies (1mm thick), 15% soaked dog kibble, 15% small bird of prey meat balls.

** Insectivore diet
The insectivore diet is made of softbill pellets that are ground into tiny pieces the size of millet seed. Manufacturers such as Marion Zoological and ZooPreem sell small pellets that are marketed for canaries and finches. These pellets can also be used in the insectivore diet, and are small enough that they do not have to be ground up. To make the pellets palatable, they should be moistened with tap water and / or fruit juice. Thoroughly mix the ingredients by squeezing them together, breaking up any lumps to arrive at a fine, loose and crumbly consistency.

Diet preparation
The insectivore diet will fill about half of the food dish. The remaining ingredients (livefood, egg, kibble, Nebraska bird of prey meat and sliced pinkies) lay on top of this mixture and stimulate feeding by being clearly visible. The wet foods (pinkies, kibble and meat) adhere to the insectivore diet to deliver better nutrition. The insectivore diet also sticks to the insects when they are dipped in thick nectar or honey. Dipping the insects in this way guarantees good nutrition with every mouthful, since the insects alone are a wholly inadequate diet.

Acclimating new arrivals
In the wild, bee eaters' nutritional requirements are met by a very wide variety of food items, nearly all of them insects: >350 prey taxa, red-throated bee eater; 300 taxa, European bee eater; at least 260, white-throated. (Fry; Keith; Urban 1988). While the commercially available livefoods (mealworms, waxworms and crickets) alone can sustain bee eaters for weeks or months, they cannot provide a balanced diet and soon lead to malnutrition. This often presents as vitamin A deficiency, commonly manifesting itself in the form of eye problems. To encourage the acceptance of artificial foods and a more balanced diet is therefore urgent and critical for long-term health.