new open windown

Field identification

Length 23-26cm ( 9-10in ), excluding tail-streamers of up to 4cm more. Adult: Bronze-green crown to back and breast to belly, blue rump and uppertail-coverts, pale yellowish upper throat, dark chestnut on lower throat and upper breast. Juvenile: paler chestnut on lower throat and upper breast, more bluish-green crown to back, no streamer.

Habitat
Seashore, farmland, grassland and forest edges by open ground in Kinmen island.

Migration
Blue-tailed bee-eaters are migratory bird in Kinmen. They arrives April , nests May-July, migrates October.

Food
In Kinmen blue-tailed bee-eaters are as know to take grasshoppers, cicadas, wasps, flies, bee, butterflies and dragonflies.

Habit
Blue-tailed bee-eater forages by making fast flights from a treetop or powerline. It swoops towards the ground, or gains height rapidly with even wingbeats, glides towards its prey on out stretched wings and then abruptly twists to take a large item. Sometimes birds forage high in the air, in continuous flight. The species roosts commonly in tall leafy tree, individuals sleeping shoulder to shoulder.

Nesting: burrows are excavated solitarily or colonially in dry loamy or sandy soil. Site chosen are open flat area such as costal dunes, riverbank, pond bank and sand hills.

Illustration

	Blue-tailed bee-eater always came to Kinmen in late Spring. Their hunting and activities are together.
	There are many lakes and ponds that are the habitat of water insects. Those insects supply the abundant food resource of Blue-tailed bee-eaters.
	When male bee-eaters perches the female, male always feed insect to female.
	So bright and colorful plumage let everybody like it.
	In breeding season, male standing precariously on the female’s back, the mail twists his tail under hers, and she in turn twists into a receptive position.
	Every pair of bee-eater has it’s own territory near the nest hole.
	In middle July, chicks could come near the hole, it accept feeding from adults.
	Blue-tailed bee-eater often lying on the sand ground under sunshine that help them kill the parasite.
	Blue-tailed bee-eater open it’s wing and tail, and enjoy sunshine.
	After August, we can see they sleeping shoulder to shoulder in the night roost.
	Blue-tailed bee-eater in night roost.
	Bronze-green crown to back and breast to belly, blue rump and uppertail-coverts, pale yellowish upper throat, dark chestnut on lower throat and upper breast.