Last year, a colony of bee-eaters hatched chicks in Norfolk before migrating south for the winter. Their return this year marks the first time they have returned to a UK breeding site in consecutive years.
The RSPB reports that the birds have established six nests in the UK over the past 20 years, indicating that they are increasingly attempting to breed here.
However, while birdwatchers may be delighted at the opportunity to spot these exotic birds, their return to the UK serves as a warning about the effects of climate change.
Mark Thomas of the RSPB said in a statement: “Their return is a vivid reminder of the changes being wrought by our overheating planet.
“Bee-eaters are a species found commonly in the southern Mediterranean and northern Africa, and as our planet warms they — along with other species — are being pushed further north.”
The birds are expected to remain in the UK until the end of the summer, when they will migrate south to Africa for the winter.
Until then, the public can spot the birds at a viewing area opened by the RSPB, which costs £5 per person.
According to the RSPB, bee-eaters, which get their name from the fact they eat bees and wasps, are a “slender bird around the size of a starling with long pointed black beak”.
Their feathers are bright yellow, red, blue, orange, and green, and males and females look similar.
There are 27 different types of bee-eaters, but the ones nesting in the UK are European bee-eaters, which usually nest in southern Europe and northern Africa.
Although they eat bees, the birds also eat a number of other flying insects, so the RSPB says their nesting here should not raise concerns about the local bee population.
