Meropidae Bee-eaters

Bejeweled in brilliant colors, with central tail streamers or forked tails in many, bee-eaters are perhaps the most graceful aerial insectivores of the Eastern Hemisphere. These are sit-and-wait predators on large flying insects, aptly named given their predilection for wasps and bees, whose stings they extract before ingesting their prey. Bee-eaters prefer savannas and forests where isolated tree perches provide good focal points for their sallying flights, expanding into more open country only where man-made structures (or large animals) provide reliable perches. Many species are colonial cooperative breeders with some of the most complex social lives among birds. They nest in burrows, and the arduous excavation sometimes involves not only the pair but also other helpers.