The bird of the year has been elected each year in Hungary since 1979 by the Hungarian Ornithological Society. In 2013, the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) has won this title.

The European Bee-eater is a migratory bird, they breed in Europe and spend winter in Africa. Bee-eaters usually arrive to their nesting sites in early May. They prefer open territories with sandy cliffs. Bee-eaters are colonial breeders and nest in burrows. Each pair excavates a nesting burrow generally in a sandy bank. During the hole digging period, disputes may occur between birds, competing for the same nesting site. When the burrow is done, they start their courtship. This ritual is very simple, normally the male bird presents prey items to the female and they copulate. The female bird lays 4-8 eggs, which are incubated by both parents. The chicks commonly hatch after 20 days of incubation. Both parents and usually some helpers feed the chicks and they leave the nest about one month after hatching. The European Bee-eater feeds on variety of insects including dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers and sometimes bees and wasps. The bee-eater usually watches for prey from a perch and captures flying insects by making a short flight. When the bird catches the prey, usually returns to its perch and before eating it, repeatedly strikes the insect on the perch to kill it.

The European Bee-eater may be locally common within its range, but it is threatened by hunting and habitat loss across Europe. In Hungary, the European Bee-eater is a strictly protected species.

Source:

Gyurácz, J. et al. (2013). European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster Linneaus, 1758) in Hungary: a review. Ornis Hungarica, 21 (2), 1-22.

I studied and photographed these birds near to my homevillage in Hungary in 2007 and 2008 and I wrote an article (in Hungarian) about bee-eaters, wich was featured in the most popular Hungarian ecological magazine (TermészetBÚVÁR) in 2009. This article was illustrated by my photos. It is available in pdf format.

All bee-eater images were taken with my Canon EOS 30D camera and my Canon 100-300mm F/5.6 L lens from my self-made blind.