There are (currently) 26 members of the Meropidae, the Bee-eaters - an extraordinary family of aerial acrobats with plumages that for the most part capture pure sunlight and throw it back to the observer in a stunning range of greens, yellows, and carmine-reds. With the exception of just a handful of more ’shy and retiring’ deep-forest species, bee-eaters are showy, loud, and incredibly beautiful, superbly adapted to twist and dive like slim rainbow-hued rockets after their insect prey and - as far as I’m concerned anyway - they are amongst the visual highlights of any birding day.

Whilst they are showy they are also essentially airborne much of the time, and when not they’re often found perching high up on exposed branches scattering reflected light across the landscape, chattering to each other, and keeping gleaming eyes open for a passing bee. Very occasionally these jewels of the heavens land on the ground (perhaps to pick up terrestrial insects or ants) - and even less occasionally they allow a birder/photographer a close approach. Feast your eyes then, my friends, on one of the most gorgeous birds in southern Asia, the glory that is the Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus…and forgive an over-excited blogger a little over-written prose!

Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus, Changi, Singapore, 22 March 2008