The Black Bee-eater (Merops gularis) is a striking creature cloaked in glossy black, its throat painted a glowing crimson like a secret ember. Found in the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa, this bee-eater is one of the most enigmatic of its kind — both beautiful and elusive.

Unlike its brightly colored cousins of open savannas, the Black Bee-eater prefers dense forest edges and clearings. It perches silently, waiting for insects mid-flight — bees, wasps, and butterflies — before launching into graceful aerial chases. But what’s most fascinating is its choice of nest: not a tree or a branch, but a tunnel. Using its slender beak and powerful claws, it digs a horizontal burrow into a sandy bank or forest slope, sometimes more than a meter deep, where it lays its eggs far from predators.

Nesting season often aligns with the rainy months, when the ground is soft and insects are abundant. Inside the darkness of its burrow, life begins, hidden from the forest’s gaze.

Mysterious. Efficient. Unmistakably wild.