When you next see a European Bee-eater, don’t assume that it’s from western or central Europe or if it speaks French or Spanish, because it probably doesn’t!
Some interesting results were posted on Facebook presenting migratory patterns. The birds that breed in western Europe migrate to West Africa and those that migrate to eastern southern African, originate from eastern Europe and the Middle East, as with most of our European migrants.
The above migration details showcase that the population breeding to the west of the Black Sea also migrate to eastern southern Africa, whereas the northern Namibian birds would more likely be from the central European region.
Gender ID
As none of the bird field guides in the region show the differences between male and female European Bee-eaters, I thought I’d show these differences photographically.
The brown wing patch on males is far bolder in colour and the scapulars are greener, less yellow/orange, in females. Keeping in mind the above photo is of a young female bird the following grid may also be useful.
Special thanks to experienced German ornithologist Dr Ursula Franke for pointing these differences out to me.
Hugh Chittenden
