Howdy, friends.  Our bird this week is one about which I couldn’t find a whole lot, even in terms of images, but its too visually striking to not do a header about.  The purple-bearded bee-eater is native to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and small surrounding islands.  On Sulawesi, it is found throughout the island, and at altitudes of up to 2,600m (~8500 ft).  It moves about the island seasonally.  It breeds inland during the dry season and moves to the coast during the rainy season.  Both parents will work to excavate a nest in loose, sandy soil, and line it with grass.  Unlike other bee-easters, it tends to hang out and hunt solo or in pairs, eschewing larger groups.  Scientists are looking into this behavior, which is strikingly different than that of its close relatives.  It does, however, work in groups to feed and care for young, like the bee-eater we talked about last week.  

Also like the rainbow bee-eater, it eats a variety of winged insects which it catches in flight.  It also whacks its prey against a tree to remove the stinger before eating.

The female has a rust-colored belly, as opposed to the purple of the male.

The purple-bearded bee-eater is rated as “of least concern” by the IUCN.  Although it has a limited range, that range is quite large, covering 295,000 square kilometers.  Although the population appears to be dropping, it is not doing so dramatically enough to merit a reappraisal of its conservation status.  Have a good weekend, everyone.  Stay warm, stay safe, be kind to yourself and others. 

Links: https://tinyurl.com/yc8uk5m3, https://tinyurl.com/47ee86ue, https://tinyurl.com/yc86udhb, https://tinyurl.com/mrybueh9, https://tinyurl.com/2vymx4j3, https://tinyurl.com/329er9be