European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Bulgaria

I found a colony of these colourful birds, called Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) at small river's bank in Bulgaria. They are very common around the whole country and small colonies can be found around most of the rivers, where they dig holes for their nests in the banks. The only problem with them is that they are very timid and don't leave people to get close.

From Wikipedia:
As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps, and hornets. They catch insects in flight, in sorties from an open perch. Before eating a bee, the European bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface. It can eat around 250 bees a day.

European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Bulgaria

European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Bulgaria