English: European Bee-eater, Golden Bee-eater  
Russian: Золотистая щурка
Mongolian: Шарга балч, Шаргал балч шувуу
German: Bienenfresser
French: Guepier d’Europe 
Japanese:  ヨーロッパハチクイ (Yoroppa-hachikui)

Body length: 25-29 cm
Wing span: 36-40 cm

Breeds in open country in warm regions, in cultivated areas or in broken, open terrain with pastureland, bushes, odd trees or copses, often by rivers with steep banks, but also commonly in sand-pits. Summer visitor (mostly May-Aug), winters in S Africa. Wary.

Identification: Medium-sized bee-eater with exotically rich and gaudy plumage colours. Adult should be unmistakable with bright yellow throat, bluish underbody, yellowish-white shoulder patches and red-brown crown/back and inner wing-panel above. Juvenile on the other hand can at distance be confused with Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, owing to duller and more greenish colours above. Flies in long, shallow undulations. Hunts often high up with straight-winged glides and brief periods of fast wingbeats (much as House Martin). Seen in flight from below most bee-eaters have similar appearance with pointed, rufous-tinged wings narrowly bordered black at rear. Note on European Bee-eater the somewhat broader dark rear edge along secondaries compared with primaries.