Rainbow bee-eater

Merops ornatus, the Australian rainbow bee-eater, was first described by John Latham in 1801, and is the only species of the Meropidae found beyond the bee-eaters' more 'typical' range of Eurasia and Africa.^[2][3] Its closest relative is likely to be the olive bee-eater (M. superciliosus) of Southern and Eastern Africa,^[3] although molecular phylogenetic analyses place the species closer to the well-known European bee-eater (M. apiaster).^[4]

The generic name Merops comes from Ancient Greek, meaning 'bee-eater'; the specific epithet ornatus is Latin, meaning 'ornate' or 'adorned', a reference to the bird's colourful plumage.^[5]

Rainbow bee-eaters are brilliantly coloured birds that grow to be 23–28 cm (9.1–11.0 in) in length, including the elongated tail feathers, and weighing 20–33 g (0.71–1.16 oz).^[6][3] The upper back and wings are green in colour, and the lower back and under-tail coverts are bright blue. The undersides of the wings and primary flight feathers are rufous to copper with green edges and tipped with black, and the tail is black to deep violet.^[3] The rainbow bee-eater's two central tail feathers are longer than the other tail feathers, and are longer in the male rainbow bee-eaters than in the females.^[7] The crown of the head, the stomach and breast, and the throat are pale yellow-orange in color, and it has a black crescent-shaped gorget and a black stripe, edged with blue, extending through its bright red eye.^[7] They have small, syndactylous feet (i.e., with toes partly united).^[6] The juvenile has a greener crown, lacks throat bands and tail streamers.^[7]

Rainbow bee-eaters are a common bird species, observed during the summer in forested areas across most of mainland Southern Australia (excluding Tasmania and other islands). They migrate north, during the winter, into Northern Australia and to New Guinea, as well as select southern islands of Indonesia.^[6][3] A vagrant was recorded once at Miyako Island, part of the Ryukyu Islands of far southern Japan.^[8]

They may be found in open woodlands, seaside cliffs and dunes, mangrove forests or even farmland, and they often visit parks and botanical or home gardens, all locations where their favoured namesake invertebrates are plentiful.^[6][9]

Like all bee-eaters, rainbow bee-eaters are very social birds. When they are not breeding they roost together in large groups in dense undergrowth or large trees.^[3]

The rainbow bee-eater makes a series of loud, melodious "pir-r-r" calls, characterized by rapid vibrating and high pitch, usually in flight.^[7][6] A softer, slower call is exchanged between perching birds.^[7]

Rainbow bee-eaters are ground-nesting birds, like all bee-eaters.^[10] Breeding season is before and after the rainy season in the north, and from November to January in the south.^[7][3] Rainbow bee-eaters are believed to mate for life. The male will bring the female insects while she digs the burrow that will be their nest. The bee-eater digs its burrow by balancing on its wings and feet, and digs with its bill, then pushing loose soil backwards with its feet while balancing on its bill. The female bee-eater can dig about three inches down every day. The nest tunnel is very narrow, and the birds' bodies press so tightly against the tunnel walls that when the birds enter and exit their movement acts like a piston, pumping in fresh air and pushing out stale air. Rainbow bee-eaters have also been known to share their nest tunnels with other bee-eaters and sometimes even other species of birds. The female lays between 3 and 7 rounded, translucent white eggs, measuring 24 by 18 mm (0.94 by 0.71 in), which are incubated for about 21 to 24 days until hatching.^[7] The young bee-eaters fledge after 28 to 31 days and are fed by both parents, as well as by any other members of the communal group.^[7] Cane toads are known to prey on nestlings.^[11]

Rainbow bee-eaters mostly consume flying insects; as their common name implies, they have a true taste for all types of bees, though they will also readily consume wasps and hornets, as well as other winged insects such as beetles, butterflies, small cicadas, crickets and grasshoppers, moths, termites and others.^[3] Rainbow bee-eaters are always surveying their surroundings for any insects actively in-flight, and, with their sharpened vision, can spot a potential meal while perched up to 45 metres (147 feet) away. Once it focuses on a single insect, a rainbow bee-eater will then swoop-down from and catch it in its long, slender, black bill and fly back to its perch.^[7] Even though bee-eaters are, essentially, "immune" to the venom of their stinging prey, part of their mealtime "ritual" involves subduing the captured insect by striking it repeatedly against a solid object (the bird’s perch, branch, etc) while simultaneously massaging-out the insect's stinger. During this pre-consumption ritual, the bee-eater closes its eyes to prevent any venom from the now-bludgeoned insect from spraying in them. Bee-eaters can actually eat several hundred bees and stinging insects a day, making them the natural bane of beekeepers, though any potential damage to bee populations is generally offset by their predatory role, keeping other, overpopulated pest insects (such as locusts and hornets) under control.

Opponents of the Roe 8 project in Perth, Western Australia, claimed that the rainbow bee-eater migrates to the Beeliar Wetlands, which is in the pathway of the Roe Highway extension.^[12] Following the 11 March 2017 election, the incoming Labor Government suspended this project and reclamation work by volunteers has begun.^[13]

The rainbow bee-eater is a common, migratory species with a wide distribution and stable population, which is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List.^[1]

• 
  Flying
• Rainbow bee-eater sunning, early morning SE Queensland, Australia
• 
  Rainbow bee-eater at Dayboro, SE Queensland, Australia
• 
  Rainbow bee-eater entering a nesting burrow in the Beeliar Wetlands
• 
  In the Northern Territory

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merops ornatus.

Wikispecies has information related to Merops ornatus.

• Photos, audio and video of the rainbow bee-eater from Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay library.
• Photos and recordings of the rainbow bee-eater from Graeme Chapman's archive.