Chestnut-headed bee-eaters Jun 4, 2024

It"s not just a name. Chestnut-headed bee-eaters really do 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 mid-flight, returning to a perch where they can beat stinging insects to stun them, 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, 2025Moritzburg Castle, Saxony, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 4, 2023Cheetah and her cubs
Dec 25, 2025Reindeer, Lapland, Finland
Feb 19, 2025European river otter
Aug 26, 2025Trullo buildings in Alberobello, Apulia, Italy
Feb 2, 2025Alpine marmot
Apr 15, 2025Castillo de La Calahorra, Granada, Spain
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
Aug 7, 2025Gasparilla Island Rear Range Light, Boca Grande, Florida, United States
Oct 9, 2024Aspens near Marble, Colorado, USA
Mar 7, 2025Plum blossoms, China
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
Jul 25, 2025Colourful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Apr 29, 2024Fujian Tulou, China
Nov 19, 2025Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary
Jan 9, 2024Rio Grande, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Apr 25, 2025Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
May 19, 2025Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Jul 9, 2025Constitución railway station, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sep 14, 2023Przewalskis horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia
May 10, 2024Misool, Raja Ampat Islands
Sep 11, 2024Eltz Castle, Germany
Sep 19, 2023Hadrians Wall, England
Feb 18, 2026Przewalskis horses
Jan 22, 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
Dec 9, 2023Guanacos, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Aug 3, 2024Three Natural Bridges, Wulong National Park, China
Oct 6, 2024Coyote Gulch, Glen Canyon Recreation Area, Utah
Mar 24, 2025African elephants in Namibia
May 1, 2025Plumeria flowers, Hawaii, United States
Apr 22, 2024Green sea turtle