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Recent bird sightings
Bird Sightings : Hebrides : Bee-eater
Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
Photography © Martin Scott
Breasclete - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
April 25th, 2011
"It was around Breasclate School and Hall, but also venturing down the road to Callanish going ‘inland’ as well as far as the Gift Shop. It was still around at 6pm at least.Probably the second for the Hebrides with one a couple of years ago moving through the island chain from Barra to Dalbeg..."
- Bee-eater (AKA European Bee-eater)
- Merops apiaster
- UK: Scarce visitor 38 records a year ( BTO ) has bred
- WI: Very rare visitor Two records.
- Breeds: southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. Nests in colonies. Nests in a deepish tunnel in a sandy bank, usually near a river (start of May). Lays 5-8, spherical white eggs (start of June). Both parents tend the eggs, which are brooded for approx 3 weeks.
- Winters: Tropical Africa, India, Sri Lanka
- Habitat: Open country, woodland, farmland
- Diet: Flying insects, mostly bees & wasps, these are rubbed against perch or repeatedly hit on a hard surface to remove stings. Also eat lizards & frogs
- Richly-coloured, slender. Length of 27–29 cm, including the two long central tail feathers. Brown & yellow upper parts, green wings, beak black. Sexes alike. Gregarious, breeding, feeding and roosting communally.
- Call is a trill
Bee-eaters catch around 225 bees a day
when they are raising their young.
Bee-eater records in the Western Isles
Very rare visitor (five or less records) TBC
The chart below shows how abundant the Bee-eater is during a month or when you are more likely to see it.
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Sources of information for the bird sightings section
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