Anyone who wanders today through various natural places, whether farms or natural gardens, will notice the presence of Indian storks and bee-eaters on tree branches or near water sources. These two birds are distinguished by their beautiful colours, which attract dozens of bird-watching enthusiasts.
The Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a very common bird in the north of the Sultanate of Oman and can be seen during this period in gardens and agricultural lands. Anyone who observes this bird will find that it stands quietly on a tree branch, searching for flying insects. If it sees an insect, it flies towards it, catches it with its sharp beak, and then returns to the same branch from which it took off. This bird builds its nest on sandy slopes or flat ground.
According to environmental studies, bee-eaters have one of the most complex social systems of any bird species. Many species (but not all) are monogamous, cooperative breeders living in large colonies of over 100 birds, which can reach 200 birds if conditions are favourable. Bee-eaters of both genders alternate between being breeders and helpers within their clan. Each bird lives in an extended family with members of four overlapping generations. They appear to recognise parents, siblings, offspring, friends, and nesting neighbours, likely through voice recognition. This cooperative behaviour significantly improves the survivorship of chicks. Females leave their natal group to join their mate’s family.
Environmental sources confirmed that most tropical bee-eaters are largely non-migratory, but some undertake lengthy, dramatic journeys. The carmine bee-eater performs an elaborate, three-stage migration, which is not yet fully understood.
White-fronted bee-eaters inhabit wooded savannas, sandy cliffs, African grasslands, and open scrub, especially in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya at altitudes of 4,593 to 6,562 feet (1,400 to 2,000 metres). They avoid dense forests. Colony sites are located on nearly vertical, bare cliff faces. Birds normally change sites during the months before the breeding season. The colony site is 2.5 to 4.4 miles (4 to 7 kilometres) from the foraging area. White-throated bee-eaters breed in a narrow band of sub-desert steppe along the southern edge of the Sahara, migrating south to the humid tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa for the non-breeding season. The rather open habitats provide more insect foraging opportunities.
All bee-eaters are earth-hole nesters, digging their tunnels with an oval chamber at the end for eggs. They lay a single clutch annually. Wildlife care specialists at the zoo and park encourage this nesting behaviour by providing the birds with tubes of sandy soil attached horizontally in a vertical wall so the birds can excavate their tunnel nests. White-fronted bee-eaters nest in colonies averaging 100 individuals, digging roosting and nesting holes in cliffs or banks of earth.
A population of bee-eaters may range across many square miles of savanna but will return to the same colony to roost, socialise, and breed.
Most bee-eaters are very vocal birds. Flocks of migrating bee-eaters soaring high overhead are easily identifiable from the “rolling, liquid quality of their calls,” while the hubbub of a large nesting colony can be heard from far away, as the Handbook of the Birds of the World eloquently explains. They have a rather musical, rolling contact call, which is frequently used. Other calls noted include those for greeting, appeasement, threat, predator alarm, courtship feeding, and the delivery of food to youngsters. Some calls are described as a “deep squeak.”
The same applies to the Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis), which is found in abundance in the north of the Sultanate of Oman. It is distinguished by its blue colours and builds its nests in tree branches.
According to several studies, this bird is widely distributed across tropical Asia, from Iraq eastward across the Indian Subcontinent to Indochina, and is best known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season. They are very commonly seen perched along roadside trees and wires, and are often spotted in open grassland and scrub forest habitats. Although not migratory, the Indian Roller undertakes some seasonal movements. The largest populations of the species are found in India, and several states in India have chosen it as their state bird.
Indian Rollers are often seen perched on prominent bare trees or wires. They descend to the ground to capture their prey, which may include insects, arachnids, small reptiles, small snakes, and amphibians. Fires attract them, and they will also follow tractors for disturbed invertebrates.
In agricultural habitats in southern India, they have been found at densities of about 50 birds per square kilometre. They perch mainly on 3 to 10 metre high perches and feed mostly on ground insects. Nearly 50 per cent of their prey are beetles, with 25 per cent made up of grasshoppers and crickets. It has been suggested that the Indian Roller could play a role in controlling agricultural insect pests due to its feeding behaviour. The feeding behaviour and habitat usage of this roller are very similar to those of the Black Drongo. During summer, they may also feed late in the evening and make use of artificial lights to feed on insects attracted to them. They are drawn to swarms of winged termites, and as many as 40 birds have been seen perched on a 70-metre stretch of electric wires.
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY YAHYA AL SALMANI
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