In fact paternity and even maternity are never totally clear because, as cuckoo do, it happens also that females lay in an other couple’s nest.

Traffic jam at the entrance of the nest causes the male going back to its perch waiting his turn to feed fledglings.

I noticed in many occasions that more than 2 adults were successively or simultaneously feeding the chicks. Literature confirms that 20% of times males and females beneficiate the support from a “Helper”. The “Helper” is generally a bachelor, born the previous year and that doesn’t have a mate as yet. It has been proved that having a helper results in a higher rate of success for the clutch.

Les jeunes ayant quitté le nid continuent à quémander de la nourriture auprès des adultes. De la même taille que l'adulte, le jeune (à droite sur la photo) se reconnaît par l'iris sombre (rouge chez l'adulte), le plumage moins contrasté et plus uniformément vert, l'absence de plume médiane prolongée dépassant de la queue.

It is the only opportunity for the photograph to shoot this scene because all the previous feeding behaviours occur deep inside the burrow.

Same size as the adult the juvenile can be easily identified by the dark iris (adult iris is red), lack of longer median tail feather and general green color.

Adult on the left holding an hymenoptera in its bill. Juveniles on the right demanding food.

"Here is for you"..

"Thank you dad" !

Les "chasseurs d'Afrique" sont d'une efficacité impressionnante et leur régime alimentaire varié. Aucune classe d'insectes n'y réchappe. Ici sauterelle, cigales et belle dame.

The "African hunter" as it is called in France is a very efficient insects predator. No flying species appears to be fast enough to escape from their chase. I got as much as 12 Bee-eaters each one holding an insect in its bill on a single photo. Here we can identify Cicada, Great green Bush-cricket and Painted Lady.
Their diet is very diversified. They can literally eat any flying insect depending on avaibility. In may they are more feeding on hymenopteras while during june and july cicada is their main dish. According to my observations they don't seem to bee a serious threat towards domestic bees as they are often considered by beekeepers. They don't chase further than 3 km from the nest. So there is no risk for beekeepers as long as they keep at a distance from those very rare breeding sites. I never identified a domestic bee on any of my thousands of photos of bee-eaters preys. Though i admit it can be different in others places...