What to Know About the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in Uganda?

The Cinnamon-Chested Bee-Eater in Uganda is one of the African Uganda Birds seen during Uganda Birding Safaris. The cinnamon-chested bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.

It is a common breeder in East Africa, frequently found in Burundi, Dethe mocratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

How Does the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in Uganda Look Like?

Both sexes are similar in the cinnamon-chested bee-eater. The head, upperparts and tail are glossy green, the chin and throat are yellow and separated by the black strike from the cinnamon-brown breast, darkening towards the belly.

When perched, the posture is straight with the black tail directing downward. The black tail has an orange base and whitish tip if observed from the front, and green when seen from the back. It has length 22 cm and weighs 17–38 grams.

How Does the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in Uganda Feed?

The cinnamon-chested bee-eater predominantly forages on flying insects, mainly bees and wasps. The bee stinger is removed by continued hitting and rubbing the insect on a hard surface by the bird.

At that time, the insects apply a lot of pressure, thereby extracting most of the venom.

How Does the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in Uganda Nest?

The cinnamon-chested bee-eater nests in burrows dug into the ground, either into the edges of earth cliffs or into level soil.

Their nest is build by both partners and the construction period can be up to 20days. They usually use a different nest every breeding season.

How Does the cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in Uganda Breed?

Bee-eaters are committed during a nesting season, and in sedentary species, they form pair bonds which stay together for years.

Their courtship displays are unspectacular, with some calling and raising of throat and wing feathers. they feed each other during courtship.

The male presents food to the female, and such feeding can account for much, if not all, of the energy females require for egg creation.

How Does the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in Uganda Reproduce?

he female lays a total of about 5 white eggs, laying one every day. Both parents start incubating as soon as the first egg is laid.

The males can only incubate during day sharing with females but at night, only the females incubate. Hatching of chicks occurs after about 20 days of incubation are at hatching, the chicks are blind, pink and naked.

The hatching process in gradual, not all eggs hatch at the same time and therefore, whenever food is in scarcity, normally the first chick to be hatched survives. Fledging of chicks occurs after 30 days.