Guêpier d’Europe, Merops apiaster, European bee eater, Languedoc, Hérault, safari photo, photo nature, photo animaux, photographe animalier, photographe nature, wildlife photographer, wildlife photo, animal photography, bird photography, bird photographer, photo oiseaux
Bee-eaters hunt almost exclusively flying insects. Two technics are encountered. Either, as a sentinel feeder, the bird from a perch surveys the surrounding airspace, dashes after its prey and grab it back to its perch in order to eat it or feed juveniles. Or using the swallow technics, bee-eater can also hunt in continuous flight especially when they feed on very small items.
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When captured, the insect (here a Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa violacea) is brought back to a perch.
Holding the prey firmly in its bill the bee-eater twists its head almost upside down and beats the wasp against the branch until resistance ceases and the prey can be swallowed comfortably. Some hard and strong insects may receive up to 80 blows before they are incapacitated and dismembered sufficiently to be eaten.
Le dard des abeilles, guêpes ou bourdons est soigneusement ôté par une série de frottement de l'abdomen de l'insecte contre une branche.
The rubbing behaviour used to devenom is remarkable. When the prey is identified as a stinging insect it subjects the insect's tail 5 to 10 times of rapid rubbing. The bill is closed tightly and the bird, while rubbing, keeps its eyes closed as venom is discharged and, often, the sting impales itself in the wood.
The rubbing behaviour used to devenom is remarkable. When the prey is identified as a stinging insect it subjects the insect's tail 5 to 10 times of rapid rubbing. The bill is closed tightly and the bird, while rubbing, keeps its eyes closed as venom is discharged and, often, the sting impales itself in the wood.
How many preys are neccessary to fulfill the needs of the whole colony ? Hundreds ? Thousands ? No it is in million of units that you must count. Take your calculator and multiply 400 small preys per day and per bird times 200 birds in the colony times 120 days spent on the breeding site and you've got ...
...10,000,000 insects preyed by the colony during its stay on the site. This figure was a surprise for me the first time I computed it. It reveals the unexpected abundance of insects in a rather small area (the colony feeds in the 10 square km around the nesting site) but also the fragileness of this community. Bee-eaters are for sure a very good measure of the richness and biodiversity of a site.
This is not a Photoshop manipulation but the simultaneous landing and take off from 4 bee-eater, each one holding a cicada in the bill.
Because they breed in colony of multiple individuals giving a large number of observation opportunities and because they usually stop at a perch to prepare their prey making it easy to identify, Bee-eater is a praised species for scientific studies. You can find in the scientific literature many kind of analysis such as weight of prey captured per day (39gr), success ratio of captures (33%), percentage of food provided to the female during courtship feeding (from 20 to 50%), energy expenses per day (170kj), etc...
Il peut exister au sein de la colonie quelques individus spécialisés dans la piraterie aérienne qui dérobent les proies ramenées au retour de chasse.
This Bee-eater which has captured a cicada (Cicada orni) ...
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