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
Jun 4, 2025The beach at Cala Luna, Sardinia, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 31, 2019Walk the line
Jul 16, 2020Summertime in Alaska
Jun 20, 2018Today is World Refugee Day
Aug 26, 2020Spotted Lake emerges
Nov 19, 2019Zion National Park Turns 100
Dec 7, 2023National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Jul 5, 2023Porto Timoni beach, Greece
Jul 29, 2019A picture-perfect day on Trillium
Jun 26, 2023Château de Villandry, France
Dec 1, 2018A treaty for science
Jul 6, 2018Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
Oct 6, 2020Water colors
Jan 5, 2024International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, Harbin, China
Oct 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado
Sep 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
Sep 23, 2020A tree of many memories
Oct 18, 2022The Guggenheim Bilbao turns 25
Mar 24, 2023Wild garlic in bloom at Hainich National Park, Germany
Apr 14, 2022Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
May 8, 2019’Chess on ice’
Sep 15, 2018A Latino art exhibition in Denver
May 4, 2024Star Wars Day
Mar 10, 2021Commemorating the life of a famous railroad conductor
Aug 31, 2021Bridge over the River Tara
Jul 26, 2025International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
Jul 27, 2020A stunning sight in Mexico s wilderness
May 4, 2020It s Star Wars Day
Nov 5, 2022Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
Feb 7, 2018The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
Nov 4, 2018And they’re off!