Carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus). The carmine bee-eater eats insects, although it is not as selective as its name suggests. It removes the sting fro


Carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus). The carmine bee-eater eats insects, although it is not as selective as its name suggests. It removes the sting from bees by hitting it on a hard surface, where the pressure of the impact extracts most of the venom from the sting. This bird is found in semi-arid savannah and grassy river plains in southern Africa. It lives in large flocks and forms nesting colonies of tens of thousands of birds in steep cliffs beside rivers. Photographed in the Vumbura area of the Okavango Delta, Botswana.


Size: 5130px × 3407px
Photo credit: © DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1, adult, africa, african, animal, area, bee, bee-eater, biological, biology, bird, botswana, bright, carmine, colourful, colours, coraciiformes, delta, eater, family, fauna, feathers, feeder, insect, insectivore, insectivorous, meropidae, merops, nature, nubicus, okavango, ornithological, ornithology, passerine, perched, perching, plumage, resting, rock, single, vumbura, wildlife, zoological, zoology