34. The Bee Eater

Nature must have bet itself to use all the colours on its palette on a single species. Green, yellow, blue, black, olive, brown, white, buff, red... they're all there. The result is the bee-eater (Maltese: qerd in-nahal). They are gaudy and exotic-looking. They visit us in spring and autumn - birdwatchers are spotting them daily at this time of the year. Bee-eaters are relatively common as they often travel in flocks, but they are easy to miss as they aren't big and can fly quite high. But they usually give themselves away because they often call each other in flight, a far-reaching prrru! prrru! like someone blowing a whistle in the distance. Bee-eaters are protected, but their bright colours render them irresistible to hunters, who every season decimate entire flocks. BirdLife's rescue team annually collects injured bee-eaters from members of the public who discover these victims of illegal hunting. If you find an injured wild bird please call BirdLife on 21347646.    

Text by Victor Falzon, photo by Juan Ellul Pirotta.
  Copyright to Birdlife Malta.