Bee-eater Merops Research Articles

Connected impacts: combining migration tracking data with species distribution models reveals the complex potential impacts of climate change on European bee-eaters

Climate change is a key driver of biodiversity loss in multiple ecosystems, which can act at multiple stages of a species life- and annual cycle. Identifying where, when, and how these impacts may happen is key to understanding, and planning for, the population-level effects of climate change. This study assesses how climate change will impact the breeding and non-breeding areas of the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster, a long-distance migratory bird, by combining correlative species distribution models with recent tracking data to account for population connectivity between breeding and non-breeding sites. The three populations studied (Iberian, German, and Bulgarian) demonstrated different levels of exposure to climate change, as well as different patterns of connectivity. The Iberian breeding population showed high exposure to climate change in both its breeding and non-breeding sites, which may result in significant, interacting impacts on this population. In contrast, breeding populations in Germany are likely to benefit from climate change, both in their breeding and non-breeding range. Connectivity also varied; while most populations demonstrated extremely high connectivity between breeding and non-breeding sites, the Iberian population was substantially more behaviourally flexible, indicating there may be some adaptive capacity of this population to change non-breeding sites if some become less suitable due to climate change. Incorporating breeding and non-breeding areas into species distribution modelling highlights how the impacts of climate change may combine into multiplicative impacts across a species’ annual cycle, and how combining methodologies and data sources can provide greater insight into the impact of climate change on migratory species and, in turn, inform conservation action.

White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides increasing its presence along the Orange River in southern Namibia

The White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides is common in northeastern Namibia, in the Caprivi Strip. This paper reports the first records for southern Namibia, along the Orange River. The first record was made in 2010, in southeastern Namibia. By 2023, they were observed in small groups on seven out of 12 days on a canoe trip downstream of the 2010 sighting, as far west as Senderlingsdrift.

First record of the African green bee-eater Merops viridissimus (Swainson, 1837) in Southern Algeria.

First record of the African green bee-eater Merops viridissimus (Swainson, 1837) in Southern Algeria.

Evidence for a possible range expansion of White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides into the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa

Many bird species are undergoing rapid range shifts in response to habitat change, climate change, and anthropogenic factors. Although ranges shift, these shifts may not be accurately reflected in static range maps, particularly if range maps are not updated regularly. We observed a White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) while birding in the Western Cape province of South Africa, an area not currently covered by this species’ known range. However, after investigating some other recent reports on the popular citizen science platform eBird, and comparing to changes in occurrence of this species from the Southern Africa Bird Atlas Projects, we suspect that this species is undergoing a range shift into the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. We illustrate this potential range shift with evidence from these citizen science platforms as well as from the literature. We conclude with a recommendation for conservation managers to adapt dynamic range maps for use in conservation decisions.

Feeding on migratory butterflies: opportunistic observations of birds preying on the Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Many butterfly species are often seen with severe wing damage, which is regarded as evidence of unsuccessful predation, most likely by insectivorous birds. However, observations of bird predation are rare for the vast majority of butterflies. During a long-term study of the ecology of the Painted Lady Vanessa cardui, a common migratory butterfly, a high frequency of wing damage was noted, especially in North African populations. Attacks by several bird species were confirmed during fieldwork which, along with a number of published and unpublished records from ornithological colleagues, are reported in this note. Twenty-four bird species have been recorded preying on the Painted Lady in the Palaearctic-Afrotropical region. Records from eight additional species from the Nearctic region were obtained from photographs and from the literature. With 16 families (13 passerines and three non-passerines), this bird community embraces a notable diversity of morphologies and prey-capture techniques. The most represented families were the Tyrannidae, the Sylviidae and the Turdidae while the species most frequently recorded as predators were European Bee-eater Merops apiaster, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus, White-crowned Wheater Oenanthe leucopyga, and Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis. Most observations occurred in March–April and October when the Painted Lady migrates in large numbers, suggesting that a sudden increase in abundance may lead to a regular use of this resource by predators. Moreover, unsuccessful attacks are common, which suggests that butterflies may quite often escape with some form of wing damage. The consequences these interactions have on butterfly populations are speculative but deserve further study.

Temporal Occurrence of European Bee-Eater Merops apiaster and its Impact on Foraging Behavior and Queen Survival of Native Honeybee Apis mellifera jemenitica in Asir Region of Saudi Arabia

Temporal Occurrence of European Bee-Eater Merops apiaster and its Impact on Foraging Behavior and Queen Survival of Native Honeybee Apis mellifera jemenitica in Asir Region of Saudi Arabia

Breeding range extension of Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides in Botswana

This paper reports the first observations of Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides breeding in the Limpopo drainage system, in Botswana, and suggests that it is likely that this species also breeds on the banks of the Limpopo River, on the South African side.

Multi-species settlement by secondary hollow-nesting passerine birds in a European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) colony

Abstract Simultaneous nesting of six species of secondary hollow-nesting passerine birds in abandoned European Bee-eater Merops apiaster nest-holes has been detected and described. The holes were occupied by Great Tit Parus major, Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata, European Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros, Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus and White Wagtail Motacilla alba, which formed a multi-species settlement in a European Bee-eater colony.

The conflict between avian predators and domestic honey bees: a case study of European bee-eater (Merops apiaster L.) preying on the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) in Cyprus

Bee-eaters are protected birds due to their contribution to the ecosystem, but at the same time, they inflict damages on bees which cause conflicts with beekeepers. This research aimed to study the impact of bee-eaters on the foraging activity of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) and the effectiveness of the applied control measures, proposing a solution for the coexistence of birds and bees. We discouraged bee-eaters by using different methods and testing their efficacy. The presence of bee-eaters around the apiary caused the reduction of honey bee foraging activity along with effects on brood rearing and temperature regulation of the hive. The so-far proposed measures to prevent bee-eaters' attacks in the apiaries were tested and found to have limited effect. Considering the role of honey bees in pollination and bee-eaters in the insect-bird food chains, we propose a harmonious coexistence of bees and birds. This strategy has been adopted by the beekeepers of Cyprus, who were committed to pursuing methods of limited protection of bees from the predatory birds, ensuring the survival of both components.

Renaturyzacja rzek szansą dla ochrony populacji brzegówki Riparia riparia w Polsce

The regulation and reconstruction of rivers and their valleys, apart from drastic hydrological changes, often lead to the change or disappearance of the habitats of valuable plant and animal species. Particularly vulnerable to the loss of breeding sites are species directly associated with precipitous banks and river slopes, which are formed as a result of erosive and landslide processes. Intensive hydrotechnical treatments, such as straightening of the channels or elimination of irregularities of the river banks, resulted in the inhibition of the desirable natural river processes. Bird species native to Poland that require the above nesting conditions, include: sand martin Riparia riparia, kingfisher Alcedo atthis and bee-eater Merops apiaster. More and more actions are taken to restore rivers to a near-natural state. The aim of restoration is not only to increase retention capacity, protect against floods, social and economic benefits, but also to improve the overall functioning of river ecosystems and preserve biodiversity within their valleys. Renaturation includes activities such as the creation of exposed slopes that mimic erosive undercuts, the removal of bank reinforcements or the maintenance of bank gaps, which promote their occupation by the aforementioned bird species. In addition to predation, the loss of suitable breeding sites is the greatest threat to the sand martin population, such as the American mink Neovison vison, the fox Vulpes vulpes and the locally raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides. A regulated river, where the implemented hydrotechnical measures disrupt the functioning of natural river processes, also causes losses in bird broods due to flash floods that destroy many nests together with eggs or nestlings. Sand martins in many places have stopped using riverbeds as breeding places, occupying anthropogenic habitats which, however, have certain limitations and threats. Renaturation is therefore an important measure to be taken in places where past regulations have caused the greatest damage to the environment. The development of anthropogenic areas should be supported in accordance with the principles of sustainable use of natural resources.

Linking migratory performance to breeding phenology and productivity in an Afro-Palearctic long-distance migrant

Understanding the relationship between migratory performance and fitness is crucial for predicting population dynamics of migratory species. In this study, we used geolocators to explore migration performance (speed and duration of migratory movements, migratory timings) and its association with breeding phenology and productivity in an Afro-Palearctic insectivore, the European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), breeding in Iberian Peninsula. Bee-eaters migrated at higher travel speeds and had shorter travel duration in spring compared to autumn. Individuals that departed earlier or spent fewer days in-flight arrived earlier to the breeding areas. Our results show overall positive, but year-specific, linkages between arrival and laying dates. In one year, laying was earlier and productivity was higher, remaining constant throughout the season, while in the subsequent year productivity was lower and, importantly, declined with laying date. These results suggest that arriving earlier can be advantageous for bee-eaters, as in years when breeding conditions are favourable, early and late breeders produce high and similar number of fledglings, but when conditions are unfavourable only early breeders experience high productivity levels.

Орнітофауна лучних екосистем у прикордонних районах Львівщини та Волині

Meadow ecosystems comprise a significant part of the area of Ukraine, especially in its western regions. Those ecosystems are subjects of concern today because of the active agricultural use and droughts that also threatens the animal population of meadows, including birds. Studies of meadow bird species of western Ukraine are limited to atlases, which results in a lack of precise data. This work was part of an international project on the conservation of the great snipe Gallinago media and allowed us to collect valuable data on the abundance and occurrence of meadow bird species nearby to the Polish and Belarusian borders of Ukraine — territories that are commonly ignored by Ukrainian researchers. The surveys of meadow birds conducted near the Ukrainian-Polish border in 2020 have shown that the general state of the marshes is worse compared to 2019: even close to the Western Bug river, only deep oxbow lakes were wet or contained some water, but minor lakes and wetlands of the valley were found to be dry. In total, we observed 141 bird species belonging to 17 orders. Among them, 26 were common by abundance and frequency, such as the great egret Ardea alba, the white stork Ciconia ciconia, the common quail Coturnix coturnix, the corn crake Crex crex, the northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus, the common redshank Tringa totanus, the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, the Eurasian skylark Alauda arvensis, the meadow pipit Anthus pratensis, the western yellow wagtail Motacilla flava, the sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, the marsh warbler A. palustris, the great reed warbler A. arundinaceus, the common whitethroat Sylvia communis, the whinchat Saxicola rubetra, the thrush nightingale Luscinia luscinia, the common linnet Linaria cannabina, the corn bunting Emberiza calandra, the common reed bunting E. schoeniclus, and 7 more species, which were observed frequently though are not typical marshland species. We have identified the species that can be used as indicators of parameters of marsh ecosystems such as grass height (corn crake, western yellow wagtail, and sedge warbler), moisture (common redshank, common cuckoo, and the sedge and great reed warblers), and habitat type (corn crake, European bee-eater Merops apiaster, sedge warbler, common reed, and corn buntings).

Acoustic Monitoring of Diurnally Migrating European Bee-Eaters Agrees with Data Derived from Citizen Science

The use of Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs) for wildlife monitoring has increased in recent years. Acoustic monitoring has been used for a wide range of research topics, but it has rarely been used for monitoring wildlife migrations. In this work we evaluate the use of acoustic monitoring to characterise the diurnal migration pattern of a bird species, the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster. We set up 3–4 acoustic monitoring stations daily from 11 August to 21 September 2017 in north-eastern Spain, during post-breeding migration of the species. We used the Vocal Activity Rate (VAR), defined as the number of calls per unit time, as an index of Bee-eater abundance to describe the daily and seasonal migration pattern of the species. We also assessed the relationship between daily mean VAR estimated by ARUs, with citizen science data uploaded to the platform Ornitho.cat over a large spatial scale. According to mean VAR, intensity of migration increased weekly until the last week of August when it peaked, with species abundance decreasing to the lowest values in the study area by late September. A significantly higher number of calls was detected in the first and last hours of the day. Our results agree with previously published seasonal and daily migration patterns described for the species. VAR was significantly, positively correlated with the percentage of citizen science records of Bee-eater uploaded to complete checklists, used as an independent source to compare migration timing. Overall, our results, validated through citizen science data, show that acoustic monitoring can effectively provide complementary data for monitoring the bird migration of vocally active species. The use of ARUs may help to improve our understanding of migratory behaviour and be useful for a wide range of purposes.

An Updated Checklist of Avifauna found in and around Chilika Lake, Odisha, India

Chilika lake is one among the 467 important bird area (IBA) sites in India. The present study addresses the updated checklist ofavifauna of Chilika Lake, which is world's second largest brackish water Lake. Surveys were conducted during October 2006 and December 2016.The birds were recorded during the total count by boat, walking along the shore, block count, bird ringing, banding and satellite telemetry techniques. A total of 222 species ofavifauna of 62 orders and 20 families were recorded in and around study area. Nine (9) new bird species (River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelli, Glossy Ibis Plegadis facinellus, Indian Thick-knee Burhinus indicus, Alexandrine Parakeet Pstittacula eupatria, Chestnut-headed Beeeater Merops leschenaultia, Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii, Whiterumped Munia Lonchura striata, Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata and Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus) were recorded first time in the study area. Out of total documented species, most of them were Least concern (201) followed by Near Threatened (17), Vulnerable (2) and Endangered (2) category of the International Union of Conservation of Endangered Fauna and Flora. The endangered species recorded from the study area were Pallas's fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) and Great knot (Calidris tenuirostris). Prawn gharries, poaching, poisoning, illegal fishing, over fishing (operate zero size mesh net), habitat degradation and otheranthropogenic activities are the major threat to the conservation of avifauna in and around Chilika lake.

Survey of the montane avifauna of Fergusson Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea

We conducted an ornithological survey of the Kilkerran massif on Fergusson Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Our records of Torrent Flycatcher Monachella muelleriana represent the first confirmation of the family Petroicidae in the D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago. Additionally, Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus, Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, Red-collared Myzomela Myzomela rosenbergii longirostris and Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus were all additions to the avifauna of Fergusson Island. We also report the first visual record of Papuan Mountain Pigeon Gymnophaps albertisii. In total, we recorded 70 species. Notably, we did not observe Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon Otidiphaps insularis, a Fergusson Island endemic, and express concern as to the vulnerability of this virtually unknown species to extinction.

Space Use and Daily Movement Patterns of the European Bee-Eater Merops apiaster during Breeding and Post-Breeding

In July 2016, six European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster were tagged with radio transmitters in order to determine their space use during breeding and post-breeding. During breeding, home-range sizes were 2.0–5.5 km2 (95% kernel contour of minimum convex polygon, MCP95) and the median distance between position points and the nesting burrow was 0.20 km (Q1–Q3: 0.10–0.38 km). After Bee-eaters had fledged, adult birds increased their home range to 10.6–175.2 km2 (MCP95) and the median moving distance to the nesting burrow to 3.90 km (Q1–Q3: 1.83–5.25 km). In the last study week, two birds always flew together in larger flocks, while other tagged birds used other locations, this may indicate stable foraging groups of birds from different colonies. Space use was significantly influenced only by cloudiness during breeding and not by temperature or precipitation. In the early breeding season, only males stayed overnight in roosting trees; subsequently, both males and females stayed there. From about the end of the second week after hatching no adult birds were in the breeding colony at night. The results of this pilot study must however be verified with a broader-scaled study approach.

The discriminant power of biometrics for sex determination in European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster

ABSTRACT Capsule A combination of several biometric measures enables the reliable sexing of the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster, a species with subtle sex differences in plumage and morphometry. Aims To explore variation in biometrics and their suitability to discriminate sex in adult European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster. Methods We sampled populations of a long-distance migratory species with low sexual size dimorphism, the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster, from colonies in western Iberia (Portugal) and Central Europe (Germany) to investigate body size variation and derive population-specific and general sex discriminant functions. Results Overall, male Bee-eaters were larger than females while Bee-eaters from Germany and Portugal did not differ in size, except for primary length and tail length. The best single measurement to discriminate sex was wing length for Portuguese birds and tail tip length for German birds, as in the combined dataset. Multivariate discriminant functions of head-bill, wing and tail tip lengths provided the highest discriminant accuracy, discriminating sex for 91% of the birds from Portugal, 96% from Germany and 94% when using the combined dataset. Nonetheless, the discriminant accuracy remained high in the functions using only two variables for Portugal (head-bill and tail tip 91%, head-bill and wing 88%, wing and tail tip 88%), Germany (head-bill and tail tip 95%, wing and tail tip 97%) and in the combined dataset (head-bill and tail tip 92%, wing and tail tip 93%). Conclusions Population specific discriminant functions allow sexing of European Bee-eaters by morphometry with high degree of accuracy at least for Iberia and Central European populations. Such discriminant functions can be used to assign the sex of adult Bee-eaters reliably and swiftly while the bird is still in the hand, highlighting the potential of these functions for rapidly sexing species with low degrees of sexual size and plumage dimorphism.

European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) and apiculture: understanding their interactions and the usefulness of nonlethal techniques to prevent damage at apiaries

Finding a balance between wildlife conservation and land use protection when conflicts arise requires applying measures based on scientific knowledge and applicability. This is because of the complexity of interactions and the social dimensions of human–wildlife relationships. One of the conflicts in the Mediterranean basin is between European bee-eaters Merops apiaster and beekeeping. The objective of this study was to evaluate the activity of bee-eaters in relation to honey bees Apis mellifera in Extremadura (W Spain), and the possible correlation with traits and viability of beehives. We also aimed to assess the effectiveness of damage prevention measures, to be able to predict whether they could assist in the future sustainability of apicultural management. A monitoring program was conducted in 58 apiaries to observe bee and bee-eater activity and abundance. Additionally, we measured the effect of environmental variables and the amount of resources in the hives, by means of honey, pollen, and brood. We found that bee-eater negatively correlated to honey bee activity and the more abundant it was the fewer resources (honey, pollen, and brood) and lower abundance of bees in the hives, mainly during their migratory season (August). However, there were no negative effects on the survival and viability of the hives. The preventive and deterrent measures offered promising results, especially the installation of shading meshes around the apiary that prevented the predation of bees in the immediate surroundings of the beehives. Further studies on the effectiveness of preventive techniques and their practical implementation through different mechanisms of economic compensation must be enhanced to reduce this social conflict.

Mist-Netting of Migrating Bee-Eaters Positively Influences Honey Bee Colony Performance

Abstract Bee-eaters (Meropidae) are considered agricultural pests and their presence provokes conflicts with beekeepers and farmers who rely on the pollination services of honey bees. This problem is often deal with through the mass killing of the birds, even though the quantitative evidence on the impact of bee-eaters on honey bee colonies is scarce. The current paper reports the performance of honey bee colonies protected with mist nets from migrating flocks of European bee-eaters Merops apiaster in Israel. In the study the weight gains of bee hives surrounded by mist nets were 6.44 times higher than that of unprotected hives (26.4 kg vs. 4.1 kg). The results confirmed that bee-eaters locally pose a problem to apiaries and potentially to the crops that require pollination. Mist- netting appeared to be an effective mitigation method for alleviating conflicts between beekeepers and bee-eaters. However, the study also showed that bees were able to differentiate between their main predator and other avian species trapped in mist nets and stung only bee-eaters. Moreover, the bees were targeting the most vulnerable body parts of birds which resulted in some bird fatalities. Therefore, due to accidental mortal- ity of birds, mist-netting is recommended only on the migratory routes in cases when bee hives cannot be moved to other areas.

Diet of sympatrically breeding Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides and White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides

The Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides and White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides are insectivore, cavity-nesting bird species, both of which occur in the Zambezi Region, north-eastern Namibia. I examined there the diet composition of these species by an analysis of prey remnants. The Southern Carmine Bee-eater chick's diet consisted of exclusively insects, represented by seven orders. The most numerous were orthopterans and beetles (40.9% and 26.1%, respectively; n = 582 prey items). Hymenopterans (18.7%) and bugs (12.9%) supplemented the diet, whereas dragonflies (Odonata) and moths (Lepidoptera) were preyed only occasionally. In the diet of the White-fronted Bee-eater, nesting at the same site, beetles were the most important prey (81.2% of all 101 prey items identified), with scarabaeids comprising more than half of the beetle diet. In comparison with the White-fronted Bee-eater, a lower proportion of beetles, but much larger proportion of orthopterans were recorded in the diet of the Southern Carmine Bee-eater. In both bee-eater species, hymenopterans appear to be less important than was expected. The essential difference in the proportion of main prey groups recorded in Southern Carmine and White-fronted Bee-eaters breeding at the same site may represent a shift in food niche due to both temporal segregation in breeding, and differences in food preferences (feeding sites).