Chestnut-headed bee-eaters, Bardia National Park, Nepal Jun 4, 2024

Chestnut-headed bee-eaters, Bardia National Park, Nepal

It"s not just a name. Chestnut-headed bee-eaters spend their days swooping after stinging insects. As well as bees, they also feast on wasps, hornets, and other bugs. The birds in today"s image are in Bardia National Park in Nepal, but they"re found across many other South Asian countries, from India and Bangladesh to Sri Lanka and Thailand. They catch their prey in mid-flight, returning to a perch where they beat insects to stun them and remove the stinger, which makes them safe to eat. These birds are designed to hunt: Their dazzling green plumage helps camouflage them in dappled jungle light, their curved beak is perfect for picking off insects with precision, and their eyes can move individually, which makes them all the better for spotting bees.

© PACO COMO/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Jun 4, 2018Lighting it up for Vivid Sydney
Jun 4, 2019Breaking the fast for Eid
Jun 4, 2020A bridge too Fawr
Jun 4, 2021Islands that turned the tide
Jun 4, 2022National Trails Day
Jun 4, 2023Waiānapanapa State Park, Maui, Hawaii

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 1, 2021It s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Oct 8, 2023World Octopus Day
Mar 3, 2019Fin whales: A success story
May 5, 2018Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Jul 17, 2024Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
Mar 27, 2018Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
Sep 20, 2019Fall comes to Pando
Mar 23, 2024World Meteorological Day
Mar 7, 2018Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
Mar 9, 2023Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
Sep 6, 2022National Mushroom Month
Dec 28, 2022Maloja, Switzerland
Jan 22, 2020A horse of many colors
Jul 17, 2020Let s face it: It s World Emoji Day
Jun 7, 2018Humpbacks return to the Inside Passage
Dec 17, 2022Mountain goats at Glacier National Park in Montana
Feb 18, 2024World Whale Day
Dec 28, 2019Did they forget to fly south?
Jul 21, 2024Kendwa village, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Apr 28, 2022Fox kits
Dec 10, 2019Congratulations, 2019 Nobel Prize laureates!
May 29, 2023Memorial Day
Oct 8, 2022World Octopus Day
Jun 4, 2020A bridge too Fawr
Jun 15, 2020Surfer s paradise
Aug 13, 2021Fight for your lefts
Nov 15, 2018‘Ocian in view! O! The joy.’
Jun 26, 2022Pride 2022
Nov 26, 2020Happy Thanksgiving from an expert face-stuffer
Oct 20, 2021Feeling lazy? Today s your day.