Southern Carmine Bee-eater

Fascinating facts about the Southern Carmine Bee-eater

• From August to November the birds breed in Zimbabwe and Zambia, then move south to South Africa for the summer months, and migrate to Equatorial Africa from March to August.
• When a wildfire sparks a cloud of fleeing insects, the bee-eaters circle high above the flames, scooping prey on the wing.
• Perching on the back of a towering kori bustard or even a moving car, they wait for insects to scatter and then dart out to catch them. This habit of using large animals as moving look-outs highlights their flexible foraging tricks.
• They carve vertical tunnels 1 to 2 metres long into riverbanks or the flat surface of tiny salt islands, ending each burrow with a nest chamber where two to five eggs are laid.
• In the dry river valleys they roost together in trees or reedbeds, forming massive communal sleeping groups that can be seen from a distance. Such tight social bonds help them stay safe and locate food sources across their wide range.

At a glance

About the Southern Carmine Bee-eater

The southern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicoides) dazzles the sub-equatorial skies with a coat of deep carmine that shimmers against a striking blue crown and undertail. Its sleek body, long pointed wings, and a slightly forked tail make it a master of aerial acrobatics. When the breeding season arrives between August and November, these birds converge on the low-altitude floodplains of Zimbabwe and Zambia, seeking vertical banks where they excavate 1- to 2-metre burrows to lay clutches of two to five eggs. The nests, tucked into earthen walls or the surface of small salt islands, are a testament to their adaptability and sociable nature, as flocks gather to roost communally in trees or reedbeds, dispersing widely by day in search of prey. Their diet is a relentless pursuit of bees and other flying insects, captured by hawking from perches that range from sturdy branches to the backs of massive kori bustards. Fires ignite a spectacular feeding frenzy, flushing insects into the air where the bee-eaters wheel high above, even circling moving cars to snatch insects fleeing the heat. This opportunistic foraging, combined with their migratory rhythm that carries them from the southern summer of South Africa to the equatorial heat of Gabon and Kenya, showcases a species finely tuned to the pulse of Africa’s ever-changing landscapes.

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