There are 24 different kinds of bee-eaters. They are colorful and eat bees and other flying insects. To catch a bee, the bee-eater perches on a tree or bush and waits for an insect to fly by. Then, swoop, snatch, it grabs the bee in mid-air. Bee-eaters are sociable by nature. They are capable of showing astonishing feats as they pursue their prey.

In order not to be stung by wasps and hornets, the bee-eater grasps the insect by the thorax. Bee-eaters are dainty grass-green birds tinged with blue or reddish brown on the head and neck. In the young green bee-eater, the central part of the tail feathers prolong in to blunt pins. Bee-eaters court close to the place selected for building the nest.

They defend their territory by ruffling the feathers on their back and nape and crying menacingly. As part of the courtship, the male offers a bee or an insect to the female. The nest is Bee-eaters do not live in pairs as many birds do, instead they live in family groups, or clans.