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''Nyctyornis'' is a genus of the bee-eaters, near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. There are just two members of this group, which occur in tropical south and southeastern Asia. * Red-bearded bee-eater, ''Nyctyornis amictus'' * Blue-bearded bee-eater, ''Nyctyornis athertoni'' The genus is basal and forms a sister group to the remaining members of the bee-eater family.〔Marks, BD; J.D. Weckstein, R.G. Moyle, 2007. Molecular phylogenetics of the bee-aters (Aves: Meropidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 45(1):23-32.〕 Like other bee-eaters, ''Nyctyornis'' species are colourful birds with long tails, long downturned bills and pointed wings. They are large bee-eaters (blue-bearded is the largest of all bee-eaters), predominantly green, with a face colour as indicated by the species' name. This colour extends on to the slightly hanging throat feathers to form the “beard”. Like other bee-eaters, they predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air, but they have a quite different strategy. They hunt alone or in pairs, rather than in flocks, and sit motionless for long periods before pursuing their prey. Blue-bearded will also clamber in foliage for insects, and bees are sometimes attracted by the bright blue beard of a perched bird, presumably mistaking it for a flower. Their size and more rounded wings gives ''Nyctyornis'' species a heavier flapping flight less graceful than that of the ''Merops'' genus Like other bee-eaters, they nest in burrows tunneled into the side of sandy banks, but do not form colonies. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nyctyornis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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