The blue-throated bee-eater

A close-up photo of a blue-throated bee-eater in Huanggang Park in Futian District. Isaac Cohen

Everyone’s going crazy about these little guys in October 2021. Well, this is a completely justified reaction, for this species is fascinating!

2021年10月初，一对出现在皇岗公园的蓝喉蜂虎引发了深圳观鸟爱好者的狂热，因为它们实在太过美丽，很少有人不会为之倾倒。

The blue-throated bee-eater (Merops viridis) is about 20 centimeters long with a striking blue feathered tail and astonishing plumage that mixes blue, green, brown and red. The colors change with every move of its head, breast, back and tail. Males and females are similar but it’s easy to tell them apart by a stronger coloration on the males.   

蓝喉蜂虎体长约20厘米，身披蓝、绿、棕、红相间的美丽羽毛，头部、胸部及喉部的颜色都不相同，还有一条亮蓝色的尾巴。雄性与雌性的外表基本相似，只是雄鸟羽毛的颜色更加鲜明。

A couple of blue-throated bee-eaters perch on a tree branch in Huanggang Park in Futian District. 

Their behavior is fascinating. Their calls, alarm calls or reproductive calls, vary frequently depending on the situation. Their mating is also amazing to witness, as the male slowly approaches and positions towards the female who stretches its body and points its beak to the sky.

蜂虎的行为十分有趣，它们会视求偶、遇险等情况发出不同的叫声。交配的时候，雄鸟缓慢地靠近并面向雌鸟，雌鸟则伏下身体抬起头，喙部直冲着天空。

A blue-throated bee eater perches on a tree branch with its prey in Huanggang Park in Futian District.

When looking for food, you'll see them moving their heads on a constant motion following the course of the insects around, followed by a short flight that ends up in a ridiculously accurate catch of their prey, that usually includes bees, of course, wasps, dragonflies, flies or beetles.

发现猎物时，蜂虎会紧紧盯住并随着昆虫的动作摆动头部，等时机成熟立刻出击，无论是蜜蜂黄蜂，还是蜻蜓、苍蝇或甲虫，都无法从它们的嘴下逃脱。

The blue-throated bee-eater’s breeding season is as fascinating as every single thing about this species. The eggs will hatch at different moments during a period of approximately 10 days, the first born being the biggest one and the last born the smallest with less chance to survive, oftentimes killed by its siblings.

蓝喉蜂虎的繁殖也是相当有趣的。它们会选择恰当的时间段孵卵，孵化周期一般是10天左右，最早破壳的往往是同窝雏鸟中最强壮的一只，最晚破壳的则是最孱弱、存活几率最低的，经常还没长大，就被自己的手足扼杀在鸟巢中。

A blue-throated bee eater perches on a tree branch in Huanggang Park in Futian District.

The blue-throated bee-eater is one of dozens of species that will visit our city in the coming months now that the migration season has started. It’s our responsibility to protect the venues they’re visiting and try not to disturb their environment so that they can enjoy our beautiful city and the many places it has to offer to a wide variety of animals.

和其他秋迁的候鸟一样，蓝喉蜂虎也是深圳远道而来的客人。因此，我们应当保护好它们的落脚地，不要打扰、破坏它们栖息的环境，让这些小客人尽情地享受这座城市的美丽与生态多样性。