Talk:Rainbow bee-eater

File:Merops ornatus - Centenary Lakes.jpg to appear as POTD soon

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Merops ornatus - Centenary Lakes.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on August 4, 2013. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2013-08-04. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. Thanks! — Crisco 1492 (talk) 01:38, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Picture of the day

The Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus) is the only species of bee-eater found in Australia. The brilliantly coloured species averages 19–24 centimetres (7.5–9.4 in) in length.Photo: JJ Harrison

Featured picture scheduled for POTD

Hello! This is to let editors know that File:Rainbow bee-eater (Merops ornatus) Fogg Dam.jpg, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for January 14, 2026. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2026-01-14. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 22:01, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

The rainbow bee-eater (Merops ornatus) is a bird species in the family Meropidae, the bee-eaters. It is found during the summer in forested areas in most of southern Australia, excluding Tasmania, migrating to the north of the country as well as New Guinea and some of the southern islands of Indonesia in the winter. It inhabits open woodlands, beaches, dunes, cliffs, mangroves, and farmlands, and visits parks and private gardens. The rainbow bee-eater is a brilliantly coloured bird that grows between 23 and 28 centimetres (9.1 and 11.0 in) in length, including the elongated tail feathers, with a weight of 20 to 33 grams (0.71 to 1.16 oz). Its diet consists mostly of flying insects and especially bees, as implied by its name. Like all bee-eaters, it is a social bird; when not breeding, individuals roost together in large groups. This rainbow bee-eater perching on a twig was photographed in the Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve near Middle Point in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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