An alert Little Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis, perched on an open branch watching for insects in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
I saw this beautiful Bee-eater at several locations in Sri Lanka, and it seemed to be particuarly numerous – or confiding – in Yala. There seemed to be a lot of them perched on branches at the sides of the tracks, maybe feeding on insects sent up by the passing vehicles. Like other members of the Bee-eater family, they wait on branches keeping a watch for prey, and they catch their prey – bees, wasps, ants, butterflies and other insects – as they fly past.
After catching their prey, they fly back to their perch and bash it against the branch, then rub it against the branch to get rid of the venom, closing their eyes as they do so.
This image is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.
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A photo of a Little Green Bee-eater, also from Yala National Park, is avaliable for purchase as a stock photo from iStock.
