your food existing without exception from insects gave the bee-gluttons or Spinten its name. These birds prefer particularly bees, wasps and hornets, who usually catch it in the flight. In order to make first the Stechapparat harmless, the Spinte immediately don't swallow these insects but beats it many times against a hard object. They frequently leave angedeihen this procedure also harmless loot-animals. The name rainbow-birds, with whom the bee-gluttons are occasionally also marked, takes reference to its extremely magnificently colored plumage. The colors blue, brown and green predominate here, smaller areas are up usually lifted red or yellow. Is colored mainly red only the scarlet fever-pints (Merops nubicus) of Africa with exception of its blue-green head.
Spread The types of the bee-gluttons live in almost all continents. they are missing only in America and on New Zealand.
Way of life With exception of less forest-living in types, like approximately this night-pint Südasiens (type Nyctyornis), the Spinte live in open preferably, only light with trees and bushes of passed landscapes. Here, one finds it near waters, in whose embankments gladly it its until brood-tubes long to 2,5 m digs.
All types are sociably alive; if doesn't hunt it in large number, around-flies, they remind of swallows with its short legs, long pointed wings and truancy. So, the bee-gluttons are called also gold-swallows in Australia.
The European bee-glutton (Merops apiaster) lives in whole Southern Europe to the incubation, the Mediterranean-area and advances as far as to the Himalaya east. In the winter, it moves as far as into Africa's south as well as. to India. its spread-area partially agrees with that of the blue-cheek-pint (Merops superciliosus), that however farther eastward to Asia and advances southwards to Africa.
With a size of 28 cm, the bee-glutton weighs approximately 60 g. The middle tax-feather-pair towers above the 10 cm long tail by 2-3 cm. Squabs lack these "skewers." The downward turned beak becomes long until 4 cm. The females hardly differ from the males, they are drawn somewhat small and less sharp.
Reproduction Both parents incubate the 5-8 almost globular eggs cast off in a subterranean Nisthöhle for 3 weeks approximately. The initially bare and blind boys become in the age until the fully-fledged-development from 30 days and fed after it from both alto-birds as well, until they can after-hunt its loot independently.
Endangering In Germany, the bee-glutton (Merops apiaster) is among the endangered types of animal.
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