. In mid-May, under a calm sunny sky, you might unexpectedly hear soft overlapping voices above your head: “kyuryu-kyuryu.” You look up and suddenly see a bird of enchanting beauty in the warm azure: about the size of a starling, with a slender, downward-curving beak, brownish-blue wings, a yellow-golden head and back, and a long green tail. With its colorful appearance and distinctive shape, this bird is hard to confuse with another; there is no doubt - you are looking at the golden bee-eater.
Size of a starling. The top of the head and the front part of the back are chestnut, while the back and the lower back are golden-red. The tail coverts are bluish-green, and the flight feathers are greenish-blue with dark tips. The mask, the stripe running across the eye, and the ear coverts are black. The chin and throat are bright yellow. The sides of the head are greenish-blue, and the belly is greenish-blue. The beak is black. The central pair of tail feathers is elongated and pointed.
The male and female are the same size and very similar in color, with the male being slightly larger. The female has a more noticeable greenish tint on the brown areas of the plumage on the front of the cap, on the back, and on the wings. The autumn coloration is similar to the breeding plumage and appears as early as August, after departing from the breeding grounds. Young birds are noticeably different from adults, having a uniform, almost entirely grayish-green color on the upper body and wings, with a bluish-green chest and belly; the central pair of tail feathers only slightly extends beyond the tail edge. Weight is 45-80 g, length is 23-30 cm, wing length is 14.0-15.9 cm, and wingspan is 40-49 cm.
A common nesting migratory bird. It inhabits open flat or hilly landscapes with earth or clay cliffs; along river valleys and lake shores, especially near villages and towns. These birds are not afraid of human proximity and readily settle near villages. Bee-eaters also do not avoid cities. They appear in the second half of April to mid-May in flocks of 10-70 birds. The last migrants were observed at the Chokpak Pass at the end of May. For some time after arrival, the birds lead a nomadic lifestyle, then begin to gather around their favorite nesting sites, i.e., near ravines, riverbanks, and cliffs.
They nest in colonies, ranging from a few to 30-40 pairs, and very rarely nest individually. The nest is located in a burrow, 1-2 m deep, dug by both partners over 10-15 days; the burrow ends in a nesting chamber without bedding, later a layer of regurgitated chitinous insect coverings appears. The clutch consists of 4-7 eggs laid in late May to June. Both parents incubate the clutch for about 20 days, and then feed the chicks, which fledge at about one month of age, from late July to the first half of August. As the young birds fledge, they begin to disperse, during which time they gather on wires along roads and, especially, near apiaries. The intense autumn migration occurs in the first half of September, in flocks (adults and young birds fly together) of several dozen to 100-150 birds. The last departing birds are observed at the end of October.
Golden bee-eaters feed on various large insects: hymenopterans, beetles, butterflies, dipterans, and orthopterans. All of this is caught in flight, without any difficulty. Bee-eaters fly easily and gracefully, sometimes holding their wings in a horizontal position and gliding on them in the air. Takeoff and landing are not at all difficult for bee-eaters, and the birds readily perch on protruding twigs to later take flight again upon spotting passing prey. Throughout this time, their characteristic voice can be heard, which can be conveyed as “pul-pul-pul...”.
