Rare blue-tailed bee-eaters flock to Xiamen for nesting season

Flocks of blue-tailed bee-eaters, a species hailed as the "Most Beautiful Bird in China," have recently descended upon Wuyuan Bay Nature Reserve in Xiamen, Fujian Province, as the colorful birds prepare for their annual nesting season in the southeastern Chinese city.

Under Class II state protection in China, the species is renowned for its stunning plumage.

The bee-eaters make an annual migration from Southeast Asia to Xiamen each April to breed before departing in October.

This year, Wuyuan Bay Nature Reserve has implemented a series of measures to optimize the habitat and accommodate a larger population of these birds, anticipating a significant increase in bee-eaters making Xiamen their temporary home during the breeding season.

In a curious behavioral trait, blue-tailed bee-eaters do not return to their previous nests, opting instead to build new ones each year. To facilitate this, the reserve's staff clean and refill the old nest cavities, ensuring that the birds have fresh, suitable nesting sites awaiting them when they return to Xiamen the following year.

A blue-tailed bee-eater preys on dragonflies. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Blue-tailed bee-eaters weave through a sea of flowers. (Photo by Zhou Zhiqiang)

A blue-tailed bee-eater carrying a butterfly perches on a withered tree by the water. (People’s Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Five blue-tailed bee-eaters stand in a row on the branches of a withered tree. (People’s Daily Online/Chen Bo)

The fragrance of melons and fruits attracts bees and butterflies all year round, providing abundant food for blue-tailed bee-eaters at Wuyuan Bay Nature Reserve in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province. (Photo by Zhou Zhiqiang)

The blue-tailed bee-eater's blue-green back feathers make it appear as if it's wearing an invisibility cloak, blending seamlessly into the surrounding greenery. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Many blue-tailed bee-eaters have already gathered to nest on the cliff face of Qima Mountain within the Wuyuan Bay Nature Reserve in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Blue-tailed bee-eaters like to make their homes in holes on cliff faces. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Blue-tailed bee-eaters fly back and forth between the cliff face and the withered trees. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Blue-tailed bee-eaters play and frolic in the forest of the nature reserve. (Photo by Zhou Zhiqiang)

A blue-tailed bee-eater looks out from the top of a withered tree. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

(Intern Jiang Yinghan contributed to this story.)