The Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus) is a migratory insectivorous bird native to Australia and surrounding Pacific regions. It is recognised for its specialised aerial foraging of honeybees. Across its Australian range, native honeybee wildlife (Apis. spp) provide an important nutritional source.
In several Australian woodland ecosystems, honeybees account for up to 94% of the food items recovered from bee-eater nesting burrows. M. ornatus will intercept foraging bees mid-flight, before returning to a branch to remove the abdomen against the bark prior to ingestion. Bees are rich in lipids, proteins, and nectar-derived carbohydrates, and a single adult bee-eater can consume several hundred bees daily.
Migration Patterns
Every austral autumn, southern breeding populations of Merops ornatus push northward along the eastern and northern Australian corridors. Staging along the Cape York Peninsula, birds rely heavily on coastal pollinator populations to build pre-migratory energy reserves before launching across the Torres Strait.
The Islands provide stepping-stones throughout the Strait—such as Saibai, Boigu, and Thursday Island to provide refueling stations where foraging bees provide energy between mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Upon the return south in Spring, these Honeybee Wildlife network sustains Merops ornatus on their voyage. Merops ornatus tracks honeybees floral and nesting patterns that supports populations:
-
Hollow-bearing trees for wild honeybee nests
-
Watercourses where mass-flowering native flora concentrates
Similarly, this map shows the distribution of Honeybee Wildlife, highlighting the importance of the corridors between Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Honeybee Wildlife Nutritional Value Profile
- Energy Density (388 kcal per 100 g dry weight)
- Protein (50%): Supplies all essential amino acids (notably leucine and lysine) needed for flight muscle maintenance, feather synthesis, and development.
- Carbohydrates (30%): Deliver sugars (glucose and fructose) providing rapid, readily oxidized fuel for sustained flight.
- Lipids (20%): Provide saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, which support migratory energy storage.
- Minerals & Micronutrients: High in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and zinc, alongside B-group vitamins.
Summary
For the Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus), honeybees serve as essential nutrition and metabolic fuel, showing a symbiotic relation between bird and bee. Protecting wild honeybees across Cape York, the Torres Strait islands, and southern Papua directly safeguards both pollinator resilience and the migratory birds that depend on them.
References
Ghosh, Sampat & Jung, Chuleui & Meyer-Rochow, Victor. (2016). Nutritional value and chemical composition of larvae, pupae, and adults of worker honey bee, Apis mellifera ligustica as a sustainable food source. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology. 19. 10.1016/j.aspen.2016.03.008.
More information at: Birdlife