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FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Blue carmine bee-eaters are an inhabitant of the sub-equatorial wildlife of Africa. Even though they mainly belong to wildlife habitats, these birds are also kept in the zoo for visitors and act as insect controls.
Being monogamous in nature, these birds live in pairs mostly. They are known to behave very differently during the breeding season when they are in search of a shelter. Right before laying the eggs, they are observed to fly in a rapid motion in search of a place from nest to nest in the colonies. They usually feed on insects and invertebrates for nutrition. After the birth of the chicks, both parents feed the babies. Father bee-eaters take care of the babies more than the mothers.
These birds have an elongated tail streamer with a body that is a mixture of carmine, black, and blue. The entire color distribution makes them a treat to visitors when these birds are seen in flight in flocks.
For more relatable content, check out these willet facts and great-tailed grackle facts for kids.
The carmine bee-eater is a bird. It belongs to the family of bee-eaters, Meropidae.
Both the southern carmine bee-eater(Merops nubicoides) and the northern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus) belong to the Aves class of animals. Residing in colonies near the humid equatorial belt, these colorful insectivores are a delight to the eyes of visitors.
According to the data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the populations of both the southern carmine bee-eater and northern carmine-bee eater are not known. Their populations seem to be common around their ranges, but both have a declining trend.
The location of both the southern carmine bee-eater and northern Carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus) varies to a certain wildlife range even though they live in the same climatic zones. The northern Carmine bee-eater is restricted in countries like Benin, Central African Republic, Ghana, Tanzania, Burundi, and Uganda. While the southern carmine bee-eater is found in places like KwaZulu-Natal and Namibia to Gabon, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya.
The southern carmine bee-eater and the northern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus) have the same wildlife habitat. They reside in and around the range of sub-tropical belts of Africa. Even though they are not majorly migratory in nature, they migrate only during the breeding season to different parts of Africa.
This blue carmine species are monogamous in nature. They mostly live in pairs in colonies of flocks of these birds in the sub-equatorial belts of Africa.
These birds of the world have an average lifespan of seven years while living in the wild. At times, their lifespan might extend to 10-12 years.
Carmine bee-eaters are generally monogamous in nature. These birds of the world live in pairs and migrate within the sub-equatorial zones in search of a suitable place for the gestation period. The southern and northern carmine bee-eater tend to breed during the months of July to September.
They do not build their own nest and generally find a pre-built nest on the perch. The female removes the eggs of the original birds. Their incubation period lasts up to 20-21 days ending in laying two to five eggs. During the gestation period, the female spends more time with the eggs in the nest on the perch of the trees.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this carmine-blue species is listed in the category of Least Concern. Even though the populations of southern and northern carmine bee-eater birds are common at the moment, there has been a decreasing trend in their population. The major cause behind this would be the caretaker of bee-hives who finds these birds a threat to beehives.
These colorful birds of the world are extremely vibrant and attractive birds of the sub-equatorial belts. Their body is mostly covered in carmine-colored feathers. The birds have red and pink upper wings. The face and the legs light blue in color while the beak is black in color.
Needless to say, this species is extremely cute and beautiful by appearance. The carmine-blue-black color combination of its body makes it easy for this male species to attract females during the breeding season.
Bee-eaters have a unique way of communicating with each other. During their flight, they make an 'un-bee-eater-like' sound. In case of danger, they have a short call of 'tunk', 'terk', 'klunk' or 'chung' to alarm others. While mating during the breeding season, they give a loud call of 'rik-rik-rik-rak' to attract the attention of their partners.
The northern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus) does not have a very large body by size. This species has an average length of 9.4-10.6 in (24-27 cm). Even though they are not very large, they are larger in size than little bee-eaters who measure 6-6.7 in (15-17 cm) and are fairly small in length.
Even though the exact wingspan is not known, the nubicoides and nubicus both are known to fly in a straight manner without many distractions. They swiftly take off from the perch in search of food and a nest.
This species has a light-weighted body with an average weight of 1.5-2.1 oz (44-60 g).
The males of this species are called cocks and females of this species are called hens.
A baby bee-eater is generally known as a chick.
The nubicoides and nubicus both are insectivores by nature. They mostly feed on flying insects and invertebrates found in colonies like dragonflies, bees, termites, and locusts. Also, they enjoy eating bees, wasps, and hornets.
They mostly feed on insects. This species can be termed as a predator in terms of hunting insects.
Even though these carmine-blue birds of the world are a member of wildlife, they are known to live in captivity. The birds are usually kept in the zoo for visitors as well as to keep a check on the population of insects.
These birds belonging to different ranges of Africa have a unique way of preying. They prey on flying insects and bring them to the perch. The insects are hit multiple times on the bark before being eaten by the birds.
The nubicoides and nubicus are an extremely smart species of wildlife. During the breeding period to lay eggs, female birds remove the eggs of the original inhabitant of the nest that they inhabit as their own.
The African-based insectivores are mostly aerial by nature. Their flight is mostly at a higher altitude and in a straight manner. They have a swift flight and can change directions at any speed, but exactly how high they fly is not known.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our tricolored heron facts and Goliath heron facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable carmine bee eater coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
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