BirdingASIA 15 (2011): 63–67 63

IntroductionBee-eaters of the genus Nyctyornis are representedby two species, both of which are essentially birdsof tropical and subtropical forests in South-East Asiaand wetter parts of the Indian subcontinent. TheBlue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni andRed-bearded Bee-eater N. amictus are bothsignificantly larger and heavier than typical Meropsbee-eaters, and share a number of morphologicaland ecological similarities. For example, bothspecies have predominantly green plumage, square-ended tails, round-ended wings and the distinctivelong, loose throat feathers that give the ‘bearded’appearance (Fry et al. 2001). Ecologically,Nyctyornis bee-eaters are sluggish during foraging,spending long periods of time on a look-out perchin the middle to upper canopy level and flying downto pick up arthropod prey when spotted (Fry et al.2001).

FIELD STUDY

Notes on the nesting of the Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus in Peninsular Malaysia

CON FOLEY & YONG DING LI

The Red-bearded Bee-eater is a common birdof primary and secondary evergreen forest fromthe lowlands to lower montane elevations in theThai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra andBangka (Wells 1999, Robson 2002). Its unobtrusivehabits mean that it is more often heard than seen.As such, documentation of its nesting cycle isrelatively incomplete (Wells 1999). Here we presentdetails of our observations of a nesting pair in thePanti forest reserve, a large, partly protected areamade up of a mosaic of primary and secondarylowland/hill dipterocarp and freshwater swampforest in Johor, southern Peninsular Malaysia (Yeapet al. 2007).

Description of nest-siteConsistent with published descriptions of its nestinghabits (Fry et al. 2001, Robson 2002), the nest-sitewas a burrow with a circular entrance, dug into araised, exposed sandy bank by the side of an oldlogging track. The immediate surroundingvegetation was tall secondary forest that wasformerly logged. The entrance was approximately1 m above ground level and we were able estimatethe depth of the burrow (after nesting wasconcluded) at approximately 1 m by inserting along stick into it. In the vicinity of the nest was a‘look-out perch’ on a branch 4–5 m up on a tree,and this was where the adults perched before flyingto the nest to deliver food, after which they did notreturn to the perch but flew straight into the forest.

Discovery of the nestAt a site where a pair of Red-bearded Bee-eatershad been regularly observed since 2009, a malewas first observed by CF on 28 March 2010 withunidentified arthropod prey in its bill, suggestingthat it might be feeding young, and eventually wewere able to watch the bird fly down to the nestburrow on a raised, sandy platform at the forestedge. The male and female were subsequently seentaking turns to bring prey items to the young, whichwe observed to approach the entrance wheneverthe parents returned with food. We were unsure ofthe brood size at first as only one chick was seenat a time when the adults returned to the nest. Thefemale’s tail-feathers were noticeably worn,suggesting that she might have spent more timeinside the nest than the male.

Plate 1. Male Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus withprey item (a large wasp) on look-out perch near the nest, Pantiforest reserve, Malaysia, April 2010.

CO

N F

OLE

Y

BirdingAsia15b.p65 7/4/2011, 11:42 AM63

64 Notes on the nesting of the Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus in Peninsular Malaysia

When first seen, we estimated that the chickswere about one week old. Frequently throughoutthe day either the male or female would positionitself on the look-out perch, calling loudly beforeflying down to the nest. We inferred that the callwas made to attract the attention of the chicks, asone of them appeared every time an adult called.We subsequently recorded one instance, on 13April, when the adults called from the look-outperch, prompting the chicks to respond with a harshcall which lacked the guttural quality typical of theadults.

Further observationsThe nest was visited by us on a further 12 occasionsover the following three weeks to observe and

document nesting activities, enabling us to obtainconsiderable detail on the bee-eaters’ feeding habitsand the frequency with which they visited the nest.Feeding of the chicks was observed as early in theday as 07h30 and as late as 17h00. The frequencywith which prey items were brought to the nestsuggested that more than one chick was present,but we remained uncertain of the brood size asone or more chicks may have been obscured whenanother chick moved to the entrance to receivefood.

On average the adults brought prey items tothe nest-hole about every 15 minutes, althoughthere were periods with no activity for up to anhour and other occasions when the frequency ofvisits increased. Both the male and female oftenappeared on the look-out perch together and fedthe chicks in quick succession. We noted that prey,consistent with the literature (Fry et al. 2001),included a variety of large arthropods, especiallycicadas, which formed the bulk of prey items (50–75%) brought back to the nest, as well as someorthopterans (grasshoppers) and hymenopterans(e.g. hornets, wasps). On six occasions an adultbee-eater was seen with a small Draco gliding lizardin its bill, tentatively identified as Dracosumatranus, a common species of secondary forests

Plate 2. Male Red-bearded Bee-eater carrying prey back to thenest burrow dug into an exposed mound, Panti forest reserve,Malaysia, April 2010.

Plate 3. Female Red-Bearded Bee-eater carrying prey back tothe nest burrow, Panti forest reserve, Malaysia, April 2010. Notethe worn appearance of the outer tail feathers, which may havearisen from frequent entry into the nest hole.

Plate 4. Female Red-bearded Bee-eater reaching her head intothe nest burrow to feed one of the chicks, Panti forest reserve,Malaysia, April 2010.

CO

N F

OLE

YC

ON

FO

LEY

CO

N F

OLE

Y

BirdingAsia15b.p65 7/4/2011, 11:42 AM64

BirdingASIA 15 (2011) 65

Plate 5. Male Red-bearded Bee-eater carrying a Common Gliding Lizard Draco sumatranus back to feed to its young, Panti forestreserve, Malaysia, April 2010.

Plate 6. Male Red-bearded Bee-eater approaching the nest witha Common Gliding Lizard Draco sumatranus, Panti forestreserve, Malaysia, April 2010.

Plate 7. Red-bearded Bee-eater chick takes prey from themale at the entrance to the nest, Panti forest reserve, Malaysia,April 2010.

CO

N F

OLE

YC

ON

FO

LEY

CO

N F

OLE

Y

BirdingAsia15b.p65 7/4/2011, 11:42 AM65

and various disturbed habitats (Cox et al. 1998,Das 2010). Previously undocumented, this suggeststhat Red-bearded Bee-eaters occasionally capturesmall vertebrates in the forest mid-storey andcanopy to supplement their diet, especially flyinglizards Draco and possibly tree skinks Dasia andtree frogs Rhacophorus when the opportunity arises.

During periods of feeding, the adult invariablyadjusted the prey item so that it was presentedhead-first to the chick. The adult bird would putits head into the nest and into the gape of the chick.Interestingly, neither of the adults was seen enteringthe nest during the period of observation, orremoving faecal sacs, a behaviour observed inmany nesting birds.

On 19 April at about 10h00 we were able toobserve one chick relatively well after it shiftedhalf its body out of the burrow and looked aroundfor about five minutes before retreating. On thesame day, the adult male was observed to dive-bomb a potential nest predator, a large CloudedMonitor Lizard Varanus nebulosus. At one pointthe lizard got as near as 10 m from the nestalthough the adult bird’s aggressive behaviourdeterred it from getting too near to the nest burrow.

On 20 April at about 07h45 one chick lookedaround curiously from the nest entrance. After two

minutes it flew out of the nest for about 50 m andcame to rest on a tree, landing in an ungainlymanner. A few minutes later, a second chickrepeated the same process, flying in a differentdirection and landing in a different tree. Finally athird chick appeared and flew from the nest, yetagain in a different direction. This happened in thepresence of both adults, although no vocalisationswere heard. The third chick left at 08h00, all threetherefore leaving the nest within a period of 15minutes.

Within half an hour, the adults and all threechicks had congregated on a tree near the nest.We noticed that the adult birds made soft churringsounds, unlike the usual call of the species, possiblyto attract the attention of the chicks. All the birdsremained on the same tree until about 09h30. Nofeeding of the chicks was noted in this time andthe family subsequently moved into the forest andwas not observed thereafter.

DiscussionDespite it being a widespread Sundaic forestspecies, information on the Red-bearded Bee-eateris relatively incomplete and much remains to belearnt, especially in relation to its brood size,survival and time to fledging (D. R. Wells in litt.

Plate 8. One of the Red-bearded Bee-eater chicks sticks its headout of the nest moments before it left the burrow, Panti forestreserve, Malaysia, 19 April 2010.

Plate 9. Newly fledged Red-bearded Bee-eater chick outsidethe nest. It was later joined by two more chicks and theadults before flying into the forest, Panti forest reserve,Malaysia, 19 April 2010.

CO

N F

OLE

Y

CO

N F

OLE

Y

66 Notes on the nesting of the Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus in Peninsular Malaysia

BirdingAsia15b.p65 7/4/2011, 11:42 AM66

2010). Our observations therefore add to the currentknowledge of the breeding cycle of this elusiveforest bee-eater.

Based on the extent of their plumagedevelopment when first seen, we inferred that thechicks were at least one week old. The chicks leftthe nest 24 days later, suggesting that the time fromhatching to fledging is about 31–34 days. Althoughwe were not able to determine the number of chickswhile they were still in the nest, or document anyevidence of chick mortality, the fact that threejuveniles were seen to leave the nest confirms thatthe clutch size can exceed the two documented inWells (1999) and Robson (2002), and may be evenhigher.

Our multiple observations (n=6) of at least onespecies, the Common Gliding Lizard Dracosumatranus, being fed to the chicks is also the firstinstance of Red-bearded Bee-eater taking smallvertebrates and is contrary to an all-arthropod dietas previously reported (Wells 1999, Fry et al. 2001).The adults may therefore have a broader diet thanpreviously thought and opportunistically capturelarger vertebrate prey in the middle levels of theforest.

Red-bearded Bee-eaters are widespread andrelatively common birds of lowland to submontaneevergreen forest in Peninsular Malaysia (Wells1999). Given that exposed banks and mounds arethe most frequently documented nesting locations,the species may potentially benefit from selectivelogging which creates exposed mounds where trees

have been removed, creating sites where burrowsmay be excavated.

AcknowledgementsWe thank David Wells and Albert Low for theirhelpful input during the preparation of this note.

ReferencesCox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J. & Thirakhupt, K. (1998) A

photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of PeninsularMalaysia, Singapore and Thailand. London: New Holland.

Das, I. (2010) A field guide to the reptiles of South-East Asia. London:New Holland.

Fry, C. H. (2001) Family Meropidae (bee-eaters). Pp.286–341 in J. delHoyo, A. Elliott & J. Sargatal, eds. Handbook of the birds of theworld, 6. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.

Robson, C. (2002). A field guide to the birds of South-East Asia. London:New Holland.

Wells, D. R. (1999) The birds of the Thai-Malay peninsula, 1. London:Academic Press.

Yeap, C. A., Sebastian, A. C. & Davison, G. W. H. (compilers). (2007)Directory of Important Bird Areas in Malaysia: key sites forconservation. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society.

Con Foley60 Havelock Rd #03-29, Singapore 169658

Email: cfoley@pacific.net.sg

Yong Ding Li South-east Asian Biodiversity Society

5-4 Choa Chu Kang St 51, #0-1-173 Singapore 680504Email: zoothera@yahoo.com

BirdingASIA 15 (2011) 67

BirdingAsia15b.p65 7/4/2011, 11:42 AM67