Blue-tailed Bee-eater
A green bee-eater with a blue tail and orange throat, colonial in open country.
Overview
A green bee-eater with a blue tail and orange throat, colonial in open country.
History & Origin
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater occurs naturally in Asia. Climbing and perching birds with zygodactyl or anisodactyl feet — woodpeckers, kingfishers, cuckoos, trogons, rollers and allies — inhabit forests, woodlands and waterways on most continents.
Appearance & Size
It is a Small-Medium (27-30cm) bird. They are defined by feet built for gripping and climbing (two toes forward, two back) and often specialised bills: chisel-like in woodpeckers, dagger-like in kingfishers, curved in cuckoos.
Temperament & Behavior
These are mostly wild, tree-dependent birds; woodpeckers are tireless excavators, kingfishers sit-and-wait hunters, and cuckoos include famed brood-parasites. They are not typical pets.
Care & Husbandry
Diets are insect- and prey-specific: woodpeckers take wood-boring larvae, kingfishers spear fish and crustaceans, cuckoos eat caterpillars and other invertebrates. In captivity they need vertical climbing surfaces or perches, enclosed insect- or fish-based diets and enrichment; they are specialist aviary birds requiring experienced keeping.
Health & Lifespan
Captive concerns include beak and foot problems, nutritional disease and stress-related feather loss. Wild lifespans vary, with many reaching 5-10 years.
Popularity & Recognition
Woodpeckers are ecosystem engineers that create nest cavities used by countless other species; their specialised anatomy is a classic example of evolutionary adaptation.
