White-Fronted Bee-Eater

Bee-eaters are very cool and I was hoping to see some when we visited southern Africa. My wish was granted when we saw them in two different groupings on the same day, both along the Zambezi River: one on the Zimbabwe side while canoeing down the Zambezi and one on the Zambia side that evening on a Sunset cruise just above Victoria Falls. Both were hovering near and flying in and out of holes in clay cliffs on the edge of the Zambezi.

White-fronted bee-eater on the Zambia side of the Zambezi River.

I count 27 species of bee-eater. This species was the white-fronted bee-eater, found in the savannah regions of sub-equatorial Africa (the equator runs through Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo and Gabon). 

Bronze hind-neck.

The white-fronted bee-eater has a white forehead, cheeks and chin, a bright red patch on the throat, a black mask, a bronze hind crown and hind neck, buff or cinnamon upper breast and belly, green upperparts, blue tinged wings and tail, blue thighs and hind tail, and a square tail. 

White forehead and cheeks, black mask, red throat, buff or cinnamon chest and blue hind tail.

Blue tinged wings and tail.

They live in colonies of about 200 birds in holes in cliffs or banks of earth. 

True to their name, they eat primarily bees, but also eat other flying insects.