Meet The Birds That Eat Bees!

Can you imagine eating a bee? While the thought may sound strange, it’s not an uncommon food in some indigenous communities across the globe, particularly bees in the larval stage, which are considered a delicacy. Aep Pheung is a Thai dish made from grilled bee larvae. The consumption of bees, however, is a more common behavior in the wild animal kingdom, especially among certain types of birds. Several birds eat bees, including kingbirds, mockingbirds, swifts, thrushes, and woodpeckers. Woodpeckers like to go after the larvae of carpenter bees and leafcutter bees. Most of these species are opportunistic bee-eaters, snatching them out of the air if they happen to be easy prey or are the only game in town. Several birds, however, specialize in hunting bees, making them a part of their regular diet. Continue reading to get the buzz on five birds that eat bees.  

Honey Buzzard

The honey buzzard is a large bird belonging to the Accipitridae family of eagles, hawks, kites, and vultures. Scientists recognize several different species of honey buzzard, including the European and crested or Oriental honey buzzard. It also goes by the name pern, or the common pern, depending on the region where it lives. Despite its name, it has more in common with kites than with buzzards in the Buteo genus. The European honey buzzard ranges throughout Central and Northern Europe and Eurasia, and it winters in Sub-Saharan Africa. The crested honey buzzard’s breeding range extends from China to Japan, overwintering in Southeast Asia. A fairly large bird, most specimens measure 20 to 24 inches long, with a wingspan of 53 to 59 inches. They sport a long tail and short head crest. They will have light or dark brown feathers with white markings, depending on the species. 

Honey buzzards are carnivores that eat a wide variety of prey. Though honey buzzards’ prey includes insects, small rodents, small reptiles, and birds, they are specialist feeders that eat bees in large quantities. Specifically, they eat the larvae of wasps, hornets, and bees. These birds spend the majority of their time hunting for hives throughout the woodlands where they soar. Upon encountering a hive, a honey buzzard uses its long talons to break apart the honeycomb and get at the larvae and beeswax inside. Scientists believe that their feathers contain a chemical deterrent that wards off prospective bee attackers. In addition, the feathers on its head and around its eyes are tough and scaly. This adaptation helps protect them from the stingers of attackers that get past their chemical deterrent. 

Northern Cardinal

Also known as the redbird, common cardinal, or simply cardinal, the Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) belongs to the Cardinalidae family of songbirds. It’s named primarily for its distinctive bright red color and large crest that grows on the head of the males. Northern cardinals are distributed from Canada in the north to Guatemala in the south. In the United States, they range from Maine in the east to Texas and Minnesota in the west. Introduced populations are now found in non-native locations, including Hawaii and Bermuda. They primarily live in woodlands, gardens, brushy scrubland, and wetland areas. A highly territorial species, male Northern cardinals emit a loud, distinctive whistle to let other males know to stay away. These medium-sized red-feathered birds measure between 8.3 to 9.3 inches long, with wingspans of 9.8 to 12.2 inches.

The diet of the Northern cardinal varies depending on the season. In the summer, they eat insects, including beetles, butterflies, flies, grasshoppers, slugs, snails, and worms. Northern cardinals also enjoy eating bees and will attack a hive to eat the adult bees. This is especially true during their breeding season when cardinals crave high amounts of protein. During the winter, their diet changes to grains, seeds, fruits, and berries. Given their eclectic diet, cardinals will often pursue the easiest and most readily available food, so if a beehive is nearby, they will prey upon it.  

Purple Martin

The largest swallow in North America, the purple martin (Progne subis), belongs to the Hirundinidae family of swallows, martins, and saw-wings. On average, purple martins are 7.9 inches long with wingspans of up to 16 inches. Their breeding range varies, with most purple martins living in the western United States. However, small populations also nest along the Pacific coast, in Southern Canada, and parts of Mexico. During the winter, they migrate to South America, specifically Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Their name comes from their distinctive all-black coloring, containing a unique glossy blue sheen. In the right light, this can cause them to look blue or purple. Males and females choose nesting sites together and will build their nests inside cavities in trees or other structures. Unfortunately, their numbers are in decline due to competition for nesting sites from invasive European starlings. 

Purple martins enjoy a reputation as agile and acrobatic hunters. They feed by hawking or catching prey in mid-flight. Favorite foods include winged insects such as dragonflies, flies, fire ants, and wasps. However, purple martins also rank among the birds that eat bees, which they can catch in great quantities. When hawking, they will flap their wings rapidly and make elaborate gliding patterns to hone in on their prey.

Scarlet and Summer Tanager

The scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) and the summer tanager (Piranga rubra) are medium-sized songbirds native to North and South America. Once classified with the tanager family, Thraupidae, they are now considered members of the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. Scarlet tanagers are found in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, overwintering in South America. Summer tanagers breed throughout the central and southern United States and northern Mexico. They spend their winters in Central and South America. They live in deciduous forests as well as woodland areas near suburban neighborhoods and parks. Both species measure a little over 7 inches in length, with a wingspan of between 10 and 12 inches. In appearance, they look very similar to Northern cardinals, with bright red feathers on their breasts and backs, and darker wings. However, unlike the Northern cardinal, they do not have a black face mask. 

While they also eat fruit and berries, scarlet and summer tanagers primarily subsist on flying insects. Common insects in their diet include ants, beetles, cicadas, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths, and sawflies. However, bees and wasps make up a large portion of these tanagers’ diet. Upon catching a bee in the air, they will return to the same perch from which they took off. This process of catching food and returning to a perch to eat it is known as sallying. Upon capturing a bee, wasp, or hornet, a summer tanager will rake the insect across the ground to remove its stinger.

Bee-eater

Of all the birds that eat bees, the most aptly named are the bee-eaters. Bee-eaters belong to the family Meropidae, which includes three different genera and 27 distinct species. They range throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe, sticking to the temperate regions of those continents. All bee-eaters sport unique, brightly colored plumage with long tail feathers and hooked bills. Bee-eaters build elaborate tunnel networks in sandbanks and live in groups that can include dozens or even hundreds of members. Males and females mate for life and share parenting duties. Some species also practice communal parenting, with birds helping care for the young of relatives within the colony.

As their name suggests, bee-eaters primarily eat bees and wasps, which make up about 70% of their diet. The rest consists of other flying insects. When hunting, they will wait on a perch until they spot their prey, and then capture their target in midair. Bee-eaters possess impeccable eyesight, and some species can spot a bee up to 330 feet away! Once they catch their prey, they will either eat it while flying or return to an open perch. If the bee or wasp is quite large, they will kill it by smashing it on the ground, rubbing it to remove its venom sac and stinger.