Eschenbach Bird Of The Month - Bee-Eater

The bee-eater is a feast for the eyes: its iridescent colorful plumage can be pictured in Germany. Find out more below.

Appearance

Bee-eaters are about 30 centimeters tall, they weigh up to 60 grams and shimmer in the most beautiful colours. Crown, neck and back are strong maroon while the chest and abdomen are turquoise. The wings are mostly brown with green and blue accents. The throat is bright yellow and separated from the green body by a black line. The top of the head is brown and goes towards the beak in white over. A black mask surrounds the small, round eyes, the beak is black and pointed, and the feet are dark and very small. Males and females are similar for the most part, the males are only slightly larger and can be coloured more vividly than the females.

Occurrence

The bee-eater's colourful plumage recalls, not without reason, the tropics. In fact, it’s relatives are all to be found in the warm areas of the globe (Africa, South and East Europe and Asia to name a few). The European bee-eaters are the only ones to live in Europe and they continue to spread as the climate is becoming warmer. It is probably because of climate change that the colourful birds came back to Germany in the 90’s. They are mainly observed in Saxony-Anhalt and Baden-Württemberg but also in North Rhine-Westphalia. Every autumn, the bee-eater starts a long journey to spend the winter in Africa. It usually returns to Germany in April.

Photographing tips

Bee-eaters like open, warm and dry landscapes with varied vegetation. It enjoys eating bumblebees, bees and hornets. The adult birds are mostly immunized to the insect poison from stings and they are able to capture them in flight, very elegantly. The bee-eater’s call is heard mostly in flight and consists of a loud “prrüt prrüt”. Their breeding season begins in mid-May. Bee-eaters don’t just build a nest on any tree; they dig long, narrow tubes in shore walls and sandpit slopes. The round shiny eggs lay at the end of a tube and are incubated alternatively by both parents. The young birds will see daylight for the first time after 20 to 30 days in the nest.

Enjoy a phototrip at Wörlitzer Park in Saxony-Anhalt with your Eschenbach binoculars. You may see bee-eaters, and lots more! There’s a lot to do and see in this “Unesco World Heritage” classified park.

Tourist information:

• Adress: Förstergasse 26 06785 Oranienbaum-Wörlitz OT Wörlitz
• Phone: (03 49 05) 3 10 09 1 94 33
• Email: info[at]woerlitz-information.de 

Find out more about Eschenbach binoculars