European bee-eater

Common name: European bee-eater

Scientific name: Merops apiaster

Class: Aves

Order: Coraciiformes

Family: Meropidae

Nutrition:  insects.

Features: The plumage is very colourful and varies from red, yellow and turquoise on the back to a deep blue on the ventral portion. It is a diurnal bird that spends most of its time on a perch waiting to catch some insects. In Italy, nesting colonies are concentrated almost exclusively in the plains and hills. The species arrives in our country between the end of April and the beginning of May, to leave in late August. 

Curiosity: It makes very long migrations covering distances of over 15,000 km.