The Bee Eater (Merops apiaster) has returned to Mallorca from its wintering grounds in Africa, with a sighting just recently by two friends of mine along Bee Hive Lane just off the Llenaire road on the outskirts of Puerto Pollensa. As soon as I got their message it reminded me of my first ever sightings of these beautiful birds, where a strange ‘bubbling’ call overhead caught my attention. I looked up to see several hundred passing through on migration, it was a magical moment. Some stop to breed on Mallorca, and during the summer, they are probably the most sought-after species by visiting bird watchers to see.
The genus name comes from ‘mel’, the Latin word for honey, and ‘ops’, from the Greek verb ‘to look at’. The species name comes from ‘apis’, the Latin word for a Bee. They breed in open country in warmer climates, and Mallorca is ideal for this, and as their name suggests, they eat Bees, but will also eat Wasps, Hornets, and other insects. They are very skilful fliers, catching insects in flight, usually from an open perch. But before eating a Bee, they remove the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect against a branch or other hard surface. Each Bee Eater can consume around 250 Bees a day. A recent study in Spain showed that their preferred food (Western Honey Bee) comprises 69.4% of their diet. As high as this sounds, there actual harm on the Bee population is very small, for example, they eat less than 1% of the worker Bees within the area they live.
Wild Mallorca
Wild Mallorca: Merops has returned
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