Wildlifeof Vietnam
Blue-bearded Bee-eater
Kingfishers, Bee-eaters & Rollers
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · CC BY 2.5
Nyctyornis athertoni
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Mainly bees
Habitat
Forest clearings and a variety of habitats, mostly medium altitudes below 2,000m; nests in a deep tunnel in a mud bank
Range
Much of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia
Clutch size
4 very spherical white eggs
Size
31–35cm
Weight
70–93g
The blue-bearded bee-eater is probably the largest of the bee-eaters, 31 to 35cm long and weighing 70 to 93g. It has a large sickle-shaped bill and a square-ended tail that lacks the typical 'wires' of the smaller bee-eaters. The belly is yellowish to olive with streaks of green or blue. It is found in much of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia, in forest clearings (Wikipedia, general species account).
It has a loud call but is not as gregarious or active as the smaller bee-eaters, and is found singly or in small groups of up to three, patchily distributed. Calls include a hornbill-like cackle, a dry 'kit-tik' in a series and a hollow nasal 'kyao'. The nest is a deep tunnel in a mud bank with four spherical white eggs. The sources read do not name Bhutan.
Quick answers
- What does the Blue-bearded Bee-eater eat?
- Mainly bees
- What habitat does the Blue-bearded Bee-eater live in?
- Forest clearings and a variety of habitats, mostly medium altitudes below 2,000m; nests in a deep tunnel in a mud bank
- Where is the Blue-bearded Bee-eater found?
- Much of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia
- How many eggs does the Blue-bearded Bee-eater lay?
- 4 very spherical white eggs
- How big is the Blue-bearded Bee-eater?
- 31–35cm
- How much does the Blue-bearded Bee-eater weigh?
- 70–93g