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
Avant d'être présentées aux jeunes, les proies sont préparées par l'adulte qui par une série de manipulations, mastications et jonglages destinées à broyer l'exosquelette trop coriace pour la frêle progéniture.
...throw it in the air before catching it again. At first, I thought it was the usual manipulation to get the prey in the proper position to be swallowed. But, in fact, the insect has been captured for chicks and the cast of the prey is part of a complex handling whose purpose is to squash the cicada hard body to make it ingestible by the small ones. I shot thousands of photos (thanks to digital free "films") to eventually get the cicada in the proper position, freezed in the air. A great moment of pure photographic pleasure...
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...throw it in the air before catching it again. At first, I thought it was the usual manipulation to get the prey in the proper position to be swallowed. But, in fact, the insect has been captured for chicks and the cast of the prey is part of a complex handling whose purpose is to squash the cicada hard body to make it ingestible by the small ones. I shot thousands of photos (thanks to digital free "films") to eventually get the cicada in the proper position, freezed in the air. A great moment of pure photographic pleasure...
CLICK ON IMAGES
for a larger display or add comments
Insect cast generally occurs with large preys especially Cicada, Locusts and greater hymenopteras such as Xylocopas. Always fun to get it freezed in the air.
Grab it
Prepare to crash
oh my head !
The Bee-eaters preys are highly versatile from the tiniest flies to the large 80 mm dragonflies. My colony feeds primarily on cicada. More than 80% of their diet. Nonetheless next photos demonstrate the variety of the preys they feed on.
- What did you get here ?
- The usual cicada and you ?
- I've not my id hanbook but I guess some one from the Tabanidae family
- The usual cicada and you ?
- I've not my id hanbook but I guess some one from the Tabanidae family
With an Ant-lion (Palpares libelluloides)
With a Riverine Dragongfly (Onychogomphus uncatus)
With a Riverine Dragongly (Onychogomphus uncatus)
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