Its colours and readily visible forked tail make it unmistakable.

It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak.

It can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers.

Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.

[2] These bee-eaters nest as pairs or in very small colonies in sandy banks, or similar flat ground.