The Green Bee Eater: A Bird Photographer’s Perfect Starting Point

by Avanish Dureha

If you’re just stepping into the world of bird photography, the Green Bee-Eater (Merops orientalis) might just be the perfect subject to start with. Vibrant, agile, and delightfully photogenic, this little gem taught me essential lessons about bird behavior, camera techniques, and the joy of being out with nature. Whether you’re holding a camera for the first time or honing your skills, here’s why the Green Bee-Eater deserves a spot on your photography bucket list.

Why Green Bee Eaters Are Photography Gold

Easy to Find, Hard to Ignore

Finding Green Bee Eaters isn’t a challenge—they’re abundant across Asia and Africa, thriving everywhere from open grasslands and scrublands to suburban edges. What I love most is their preference for exposed perches: telephone wires (Less photogenic), slender branches, fence posts, and rocky outcrops. No need to crawl through dense undergrowth or wait hours in a hide!

(Pro tip: While they love telephone wires, I usually avoid photographing them there for aesthetic reasons.)

Natural Models

These birds are inherently photogenic. Their plumage showcases a stunning palette of emerald greens and turquoise blues, complemented by warm chestnut tones on the head and throat. Those distinctive elongated tail streamers and piercing ruby-red eyes create natural focal points that make every frame compelling, regardless of the background.

Predictable Yet Dynamic

Green Bee Eaters strike the perfect balance between activity and predictability. They’re constantly in motion—diving for insects, socializing with their flock, or engaging in aerial displays—yet they consistently return to favorite perches after each hunting expedition. This behavior gives photographers multiple opportunities to capture action sequences, feeding behaviors, and social interactions.

Understanding Their World

The secret to exceptional bird photography lies in understanding your subject’s behavior. Green Bee Eaters have taught me invaluable lessons about patience and observation.

Hunting Patterns: These skilled aerial hunters primarily target bees, wasps, dragonflies, and other flying insects. They employ a “sit-and-wait” strategy, launching from their perch with remarkable precision to snatch prey mid-flight before returning to process their catch—beating larger insects against their perch to remove stingers.

Social Dynamics: Bee Eaters are inherently gregarious. You’ll often observe them engaged in mutual preening, communal sunbathing, or simply roosting together in tight formations. These social behaviors provide excellent opportunities for storytelling through your lens.

Seasonal Behaviors: During breeding season (typically coinciding with the onset of monsoons), these birds excavate tunnel nests in sandy banks or earthen walls. Witnessing their courtship rituals, nest construction, and chick-rearing activities offers photographers a complete behavioral narrative to document.

Technical Approach: Camera Settings and Techniques

1. The Art of Approach

Successful bee eater photography requires a blend of stealth and patience. I approach slowly and deliberately, avoiding sudden movements that might startle the birds. Often, I’ll establish a position and simply wait. Once they recognize you’re not a threat, they resume natural behaviors, allowing for intimate, unstaged photographs.

2. Mastering Light

The “golden hours” shortly after sunrise and before sunset transform these already colorful birds into living jewels. During these times, their iridescent plumage catches and reflects warm light beautifully. I also experiment with:

• Side lighting to emphasize feather textures and depth
• Backlighting for dramatic silhouettes
• Overcast conditions for evenly diffused lighting that renders colors accurately without harsh shadows

3. My Equipment Setup and Camera Configuration

My Go-To Gear: I shoot with an OM System OM-1 paired with a 300mm f/4 (Effective focal length 600mm due crop factor) lens or a 100-400 (200-800) f5-6.3—a combination that’s become my trusted companion for bee eater photography. The OM-1’s lightweight body makes handheld shooting comfortable during long sessions, while the 300mm f/4 provides excellent reach with outstanding optical quality.

Focus System: The OM-1’s AI Subject Detection set to “Bird” mode with eye focus priority is a game-changer. This system locks onto bee eaters with remarkable accuracy, even tracking them through complex flight patterns. The eye detection ensures tack-sharp focus on the most critical part of the bird, and it rarely misses—even when the birds are moving quickly between perches.

Pro Capture Mode: This is my secret weapon for capturing perfect takeoff shots. Pro Capture starts recording images before you fully press the shutter, storing them in a buffer. When a bee eater launches from its perch—which happens in a split second—I already have those crucial pre-takeoff moments captured. It’s revolutionized my ability to get those explosive departure shots that would otherwise be impossible to time.

Shutter Speed:

• Flight photography: Minimum 1/1600s (often pushing to 1/2000s for sharp wing detail)
• Perched subjects: 1/500s to 1/800s to freeze small movements
• Pro Capture allows me to use slightly slower speeds since I’m capturing the entire sequence

Aperture:

• I typically shoot wide open at f/4 with my 300mm, which provides beautiful background separation while maintaining excellent sharpness
• The lens performs exceptionally well at maximum aperture, so there’s no need to stop down unless I specifically need more depth of field

ISO Philosophy: I prioritize getting the shot over pixel-peeping perfection. The OM-1 handles noise exceptionally well, so I don’t get carried away worrying about ISO settings. I’d rather capture a compelling moment at ISO 1600 than miss it entirely trying to keep ISO low. A great image with some noise beats a perfectly clean image of nothing!

4. Compositional Strategies

Strong composition elevates good bird photos to great ones:  

• Rule of thirds: Position the bird off-center for dynamic balance
• Environmental context: Include habitat elements that tell the bird’s story 
• Negative space: Use clean backgrounds (blue sky, blurred vegetation) to isolate your subject
• Action and interaction: Capture behavioral moments—feeding, preening, territorial displays, parent-chick interactions

5. Ethical Photography Practices

Respect for your subjects is paramount:

• Maintain safe distances, especially near nests
• Never use flash photography with wild birds
• If birds show signs of stress, retreat immediately
• Avoid disturbing natural behaviors for the sake of a photograph

Overcoming Common Challenges

Size Limitations: Use the longest focal length available (300mm minimum recommended). When working with shorter lenses, focus on environmental portraits that showcase the bird within its habitat.

Flight Photography: This skill develops with practice. Use continuous autofocus, anticipate flight paths, and shoot in burst mode to increase your success rate. Practice panning techniques to keep moving subjects sharp against blurred backgrounds.

Busy Backgrounds: 

Change your shooting angle or use wider apertures to achieve better subject separation. Sometimes waiting for the bird to move to a cleaner perch is more effective than trying to fix a cluttered composition.

What I Learned Beyond Photography 

Photographing Green Bee Eaters taught me more than just camera skills. These birds improved my patience, observation abilities, and respect for wildlife. I learned to read their behavior, predict their movements, and understand how light and weather affect both the birds and my photos.

Perfect for Beginners 

Many bird photographers start with common, accessible species like Green Bee Eaters. These birds are forgiving when you make mistakes and very rewarding when you get it right. As your skills grow, you’ll move on to more challenging projects like capturing action shots or detailed feather patterns.

Your photography will evolve from simple documentation to artistic storytelling that shows both the birds and your own growth as a photographer.

Every photo teaches you something new. Let Green Bee Eaters guide you into bird photography and see where your passion takes you.