Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Kochi, Kerala (6917279829)

Description:

Description: THIS GUY WAS PERCHED ON A TREE NEXT TO THE RIVER FLOWING NEAR MY HOUSE. I REALLY HAD TO SWEAT IT OUT TO GET NEAR HIM. A Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus. They are mainly insect eaters and they are found in grassland, thin scrub and forest often quite far from water. Like other species in the genus, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and ants, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. Before swallowing prey, a bee-eater removes stings and breaks the exoskeleton of the prey by repeatedly thrashing it on the perch. Date: 20 February 2012, 17:34. Source: Green Bee Eater. Author: Antony Grossy from Conoor, Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu State, India, India. Camera location10° 04′ 30.95″ N, 76° 16′ 52.96″ E View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 10.075263; 76.281377.