European Bee-eater

Spectacularly colorful and unmistakable long-billed insect-eater with a bright yellow throat, gemstone-blue belly, and flame-colored back. Found in open and semiopen country, mainly in drier areas; nests colonially in burrows dug into sand banks, often river banks. Usually seen perched on wires or circling in swallowlike flight, often in small groups; feeds by catching insects (especially bees) on the wing. Quite vocal, often giving distinctive pipping calls.

In Sri Lanka, the European Bee-eater can be found primarily during its migratory season, inhabiting open areas like grasslands, rice paddies, and cultivated lands, often near water sources like rivers and lakes; they are considered a migratory visitor to the island, not a resident breeding species.

In Sri Lanka, a European Bee-eater's diet would primarily consist of flying insects like bees, wasps, and other large insects, similar to their diet elsewhere, with the key characteristic being that they would catch their prey on the wing and remove the sting by hitting it against a hard surface before consuming it; essentially, their diet in Sri Lanka would focus on readily available local bee species.