The combination of a yellow throat, turquoise belly and brown and yellow back make the European Bee-eater unmistakable. There are two separate populations of European Bee-eaters in southern Africa; the majority of them breed in north Africa and southern Europe while a smaller group breed in southern Africa and migrate to tropical Africa in winter. They are highly gregarious birds, occurring in flocks of up to 100 individuals. They feed almost entirely on insects taken in flight; bees, wasps, flying termites, dragonflies, butterflies and moths being their predominant prey. In the case of stinging bees and wasps, once captured the prey is carried to a perch, rubbed quickly against the wood to discharge the sting and venom and then tossed into the air and swallowed. Between bouts of foraging, much time is spent sunbathing and dustbathing, these activities being interspersed with preening and scratching. European Bee-eaters are monogamous, pair bonds lasting several years, sometimes for life. They are colonial nesters, using riverbanks to create tunnels up to a metre long for their nests.

Acknowledgements to Harald Leber for the reference photograph.

Signed Limited Edition Print on 300 GSM Fine Art Cotton Paper from an original watercolour painting. This print is delivered rolled into a tube, ready for framing. Free worldwide shipping.

Limited Edition of 25 Fine Art Prints.

Size: 420mm x 300mm