Northern Carmine Bee-eater

• GeneralIt nests in colonies of thousands of burrows and hunts insects from the backs of ostriches and antelopes.
• It comes to bush fires and hunts the fleeing insects alongside the flames; in the Manding languages it is called "the cousin of fire".
• It nests in extremely dense colonies of between 100 and 1,000 nests, and exceptionally up to 10,000, averaging some 60 holes per square metre.
• It perches on large mammals, ground birds and even moving vehicles to take advantage of the insects they flush.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Savannah, riverbanks and sandy bluffs

Gestation / incubation

About 3 weeks, shared by both parents. The chicks fledge 23 to 30 days after hatching

Litter / clutch size

2-5 white eggs laid at intervals of about 48 hours

Sources consulted: Fry, Boesman y Kirwan 2020, Birds of the World (Cornell Lab); IUCN Red List (e.T22683768A92999759); Animal Diversity Web; San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library; del Hoyo et al. 2001, Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 6

Best time: During the breeding season, between February and June in the north of its range and between September and October in the south