Harriet Smith Photography

presents

"For The Love of Africa"

The beautiful multi colored white-fronted bee-eaters are found near the river banks and gullies of wooded grassland and pastures. Their diet consists of insects, mostly honey bees.

Nesting in colonies made up of family clans where non-breeding birds become helpers for their breeding relatives.  Courtship can be 6 to 8 weeks.   After mating, males spend most of day guarding female from other males. Some 60% of breeding pairs have 1-5 helpers. Nests with helping birds have twice as much reproductive success.  Nests are only dug into perpendicular cliffs.  White fronted bee-eaters incubation period is 20-21 days; clutch size ranging 2-5 eggs; nests with helpers having the most eggs.  Chicks, weighing on average 1.7oz, are born blind and naked.  Feather growth is completed at about 25 days. Adult plumage occurs at around 6 months.   The young remain with parental group till about 9 months, then may pair into other social groups.

Photographed and Copyrighted ©2005 - 2011 All Right Reserved By: Harriet Smith

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