First record of Blue-bearded Bee-eater bird Nyctyornis athertoni (Jardine & Selby) attacking Apis mellifera colonies in Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Bee eater bird identified as Nyctyornis athertoni (Jardine & Selby) was found attacking Apis mellifera colonies in the apiary maintained in the Department of Entomology, College of Horticulture, Dr. Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan during the year 2016 (February). The bird visited singly or in groups of two to three with maximum visits during day time (direct sunlight). The predations of the bird on A. mellifera is a first report from foothills of Himalayas

Keywords

• Nyctyornis athertoni
• Bee eater bird
• Apis mellifera