Blue-tailed bee-eater

Ammana Kere, Chikkaballapur, Karnataka

A steady, colorful bee-eater with a vibrant necklace and glossy blue tail can easily be found, often sitting on wires or the clean branches of trees, or playing with dust from the ground. Like other bee-eaters, it hunts dragonflies, moths, grasshoppers, or other insects flying around in the field. This bird is not very shy and gives ample time for photography. Even if it flies away, it often returns and perches in nearly the same spot where it sat before.

I found a group of bee-eaters in the dry Ammana Kere, hunting for food beneath the scorching sun around 10 a.m. Sometimes they were preening and stretching, and their glossy feathers flashed brightly. It was truly amazing to watch the activities of these beautiful birds.