My friend Trip Lamb’s recent photographs from Africa reinforced for me the value of vicarious ecology, which I define as enjoying someone else’s outdoor experiences. Vicarious ecology offers ways to learn about the natural world that may even inspire others to venture outdoors themselves. Trip was in Botswana in southern Africa observing a colony of carmine bee-eaters, birds that are remarkable for their stunning beauty and unusual eating habits. Bee-eaters are found in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa but are not native to the Americas.

Bee-eaters qualify in the top ranks of fashion competition among birds, with exquisite wardrobes of a rich mix of colors. The European bee-eater, with its pastel blue underside, rusty red head and nape, yellow throat and patches of blue, green and yellow on the back, is a memorable sight. Other extraordinary plumages are seen in the blue-headed bee-eaters of equatorial Africa, red-throated bee-eaters of the tropical savanna and rainbow bee-eaters of South Africa. Male painted buntings of the Southeast rival bee-eaters in appearance, and for many birdwatchers they win the award for most colorful small birds. But the bee-eaters excel in one category. Painted bunting females are an unspectacular olive green whereas of the approximately 30 species of bee-eaters both male and female of most are equally colorful.

As per their name, bee-eaters snack on bees, which they snare on the wing, as well as other insects including wasps, hornets and beetles. Eating prey armed with a stinger is a challenge for any predator. Bee-eaters manage by having long curved beaks that keep the insect away from their face and body as they subdue it by crushing it against a tree or rock.

Bee-eaters often live in huge colonies. An article in the Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology, a publication focused on  agricultural issues, stated that northern carmine bee-eaters sometimes “nest in colonies harboring ten thousand pairs of adult birds.” Because of their large numbers in certain regions, bee-eaters have been indicted by some beekeepers as being a major threat to honeybee hives. An article published in the American Bee Journal concluded that bee-eaters in Thailand “consume a large number of honeybees, causing direct impact on honey production and queen mating success.” The authors further stated that “these birds are particularly troublesome” for beekeepers with hives of European honeybees. The IUCN (World Conservation Union) lists several countries, including Russia and Hungary, where bee-eaters are intentionally eradicated because of perceived threats to the bee industry. It should be noted that the bee-eater birds were in all of these places first, even before the people. And the honeybees are not native, but introduced, as is true of those we have in the United States.  

On the flip side, the diet of bee-eaters could be considered beneficial as they no doubt eat numerous insects viewed as pests by some agriculturists. Despite being small beautiful birds capable of snatching flying bees and wasps out of the air, bee-eaters are not to be underestimated as dangerous predators to aerial prey bigger than insects. A European bee-eater in Israel was photographed by Shuki Cheled, who watched as the bird grabbed a bat, beat it to death against a tree limb and attempted to swallow it whole. The bird flew away with the bat meal still in its mouth. The bat was certainly dead, but whether it became a tasty repast for the bee-eater is not known.

Although a bee-eater can handle a hornet with ease, they have their own enemies, especially when in enormous social nesting colonies. Snakes, monitor lizards and a variety of mammals such as native cats, rats and mongooses are predatory threats that are drawn to a surplus of eggs and baby birds. But, as with most wild animals, the major problems they face are from humans—loss of habitat, pesticides and other environmental disruptions. Maybe the grace and vibrant beauty of bee-eaters will be their salvation by helping these birds garner support for conservation efforts on their behalf.

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