INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

The Kruger National Park is a popular destination for international visitors from the UK, Europe and elsewhere who fly to South Africa, but these European Bee-eaters make the journey south without relying on the airlines!  They fly to Southern Africa to breed in the warmer months from October to March.

As their name suggests they feed predominantly on bees which does not make them very popular with bee-farmers and has led to the mass slaughter of these beautiful, colourful birds in Cyprus, Malta and the Nile Delta.  However, research has shown that for every four bees the bee-eaters capture, they eat one insect that is actually a bee-predator, for example, a wasp.  Careful observation of these birds shows how they skillfully remove the stings of bees and wasps before swallowing them.

OJ - continues to be fascinated by the birds he encounters