The rainbow bee-eaters have arrived early this year. They migrate south in Spring from New Guinea, the Soloman Islands and Northern Australia to breed returning north again in April.
The male on the left has two long central tail feathers while the female has two little short extensions. They are prolific feeders, eating several hundred insects a day. One year I saw them completely destroy a hive of bees in a couple of weeks.
They wheel, swoop and glide like little kites in the air. At midday the air is filled with their chittering as they perform their aerobatic displays for each other.
I observed an interesting behaviour yesterday as I watched them. One was flying off the power line and returning to offer the other his/her catch.
Another interesting behaviour of these little birds is they nest in a burrow in the ground. They congregate in areas of sandy loam and build their nests on the flat earth.
The first bird look at you and ask you what are you doing