MyKrugerHoliday
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Blouwangbyvreter · Merops persicus
A slim green bee-eater that visits Kruger in summer to hunt dragonflies and bees over water. It nests in colonies far to the north, digging tunnels into riverbanks, and reaches the park's rivers and pans only during the warm, wet season.
Log your Blue-cheeked Bee-eater sighting — free →How to identify it
Mostly green with a rufous-yellow throat and long central tail spike, lacking the European Bee-eater's chestnut back.
Listen for its call
Liquid "dweep" calls in flight, much like its European cousin.
Where to see it in Kruger
Hunts over the larger rivers, dams and floodplains, mainly in the warmer months.
Did you know
It snatches dragonflies straight out of the air and beats the sting out of bees before swallowing them.
Often confused with
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