http://gallery.pictopia.com/providerasset/1/pictopia_logo.pnghttp://gallery.pictopia.com/providerasset/1/pictopia_logo.pnghttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/2011-12-02T10:52:35Z2011-12-02T10:52:35ZJozsef Szentpeteri/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867073/

A brilliant blur as it plucks a butterfly from the air, the European bee-eater leads a colorful life on three continents.

//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867073&size=128&m=1322851955.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867073&size=128&m=1322851955.01188997http://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867073/In the Magazine/Past Issues/October 2008/Bee Eaters2010-12-16T14:29:06ZJoe Petersburger/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867086/

Male bee eater leaves perch to find additional prey to court female.

//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867086&size=128&m=1292538546.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867086&size=128&m=1292538546.01189000http://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867086/In the Magazine/Past Issues/October 2008/Bee Eaters2010-07-01T13:23:10ZJozsef Szentpeteri/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867096/

A dragonfly has no stinger, but a bee-eater will beat it senseless anyway, the same way it handles its namesake prey.

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For a male bee-eater, mating depends on finding food-such as a dragonfly.

//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867066&size=128&m=1248429365.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867066&size=128&m=1248429365.01188996http://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867066/In the Magazine/Past Issues/October 2008/Bee Eaters2009-07-24T02:56:05ZJozsef Szentpeteri/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867101/

It's more than 4,000 miles from bee-eaters' winter range in southern Africa to their summer breeding grounds in central and eastern Europe, but the birds can span the distance in roughly three weeks, flying as far as 300 miles a day.

//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867101&size=128&m=1248429365.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867101&size=128&m=1248429365.01189003http://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867101/In the Magazine/Past Issues/October 2008/Bee Eaters2009-04-30T14:49:36ZJozsef Szentpeteri/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867080/

Beaks replete with prey, a band of bee-eaters eye their nests nearby.

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After snatching a bumblebee in midair, a bee-eater uses a time-tested technique to avoid a sting: It whacks the insect against a branch until it's immobile, then rubs the stinger on the bark to expel the venom.

//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867052&size=128&m=1241005936.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867052&size=128&m=1241005936.01188991http://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867052/In the Magazine/Past Issues/October 2008/Bee Eaters2008-11-17T12:30:16ZJozsef Szentpeteri/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867060/

Before a bee-eater shares his catch with his mate, he woos her by conspicuously preparing his offering-tossing around a may bug before knocking it out.

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In Hungary, adults fly to and from the nest tunnel they pecked and scratched into a sandy bank, foraging constantly to feed their ravenous chicks.

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After eating her fill, the female emits a gobbling sound to beckon her suitor, who approaches with wings fluttering to maintain his balance.

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A male bee-eater displays his catch-a dragonfly-to attract his mate.

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An adult in Romania delivers food inside the nesting chamber.

//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867082&size=128&m=1221175833.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=318&ptp_photo_id=natgeo:5867082&size=128&m=1221175833.01188999http://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867082/In the Magazine/Past Issues/October 2008/Bee Eaters2008-09-11T16:30:32ZJozsef Szentpeteri/National Geographic Image Collectionhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/natgeo/gallery/56751/photo/5867055/

Brandishing stiletto-like beaks, male bee-eaters clash during mating season, when a colony's pecking order defines which birds will breed - and which ones won't.

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A bee-eater flies from the nest tunnel in a sandy bank in Hungary. As countries in Europe increasingly sheathe their riverbanks in concrete, bee-eaters are forced to dig their tunnels in sand mines and dumps.

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