Merops is a large genus of bee-eaters, a group of birds in the family.
sergey-ryzhkov.com
Merops, native to Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. The members of this family are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. They predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air.
Merops has 41 species. This is one of the great birds. They have a wonderful body shape and are beautiful to look at. All types of bee-eaters are very similar to each other. The short and somewhat rigid integumentary plumage is variegated in almost all, without exception. Shurks are common in the warm countries of Europe. Australia has one species.
Merops live in different places but never live where there are no trees. Merops ever fight among themselves, they do not have battles over prey. They are peaceful and accommodating. Merops can eat poisonous insects, they swallow dangerous prey without making any preparations beforehand (other species of birds, for example, bite off the sting of a bee or wasp before eating the insect), but unfortunately the bite of a poisonous insect is fatal for this bird.
sergey-ryzhkov.com
Merops nest in colonies (societies) and lay their eggs in deep horizontal burrows .. doing this on sheer cliffs.
The nests of the bee-eaters preparing for reproduction are densely populated, at the end of the nesting passage in the expansions of the Merops hatch eggs, during this period they especially like to get together and arrange a "nursery"
sergey-ryzhkov.com
wikipedia
Handbook of the Birds of the World
birdsoftheworld