Editing Bee-eater (section)

===Breeding===
[[File:מצוק השרקרקים.JPG|thumb|left|Bee-eater nesting cliff in [[Modi'in]], [[Israel]]]]

Bee-eaters are [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]] during a nesting season, and in sedentary species, pairs may stay together for multiple years. Migratory bee-eaters may find new mates each breeding season. The courtship displays of the bee-eaters are rather unspectacular, with some calling and raising of throat and wing feathers. The exception is the performance of the white-throated bee-eater. Their "butterfly display" involves both members of a pair performing a gliding display flight with shallow wing-beats; they then perch facing each other, raising and folding their wings while calling.<ref name="hbwfamily" /> Most members of the family engage in courtship feeding, where the male presents prey items to the female, and such feeding can account for much, if not all, of the energy females require for egg creation.<ref name="akh" />

Like almost all Coraciiformes the bee-eaters are cavity [[bird nest|nesters]].<ref name="eberh" /> In the case of the bee-eaters the nests are burrows dug into the ground, either into the sides of earth cliffs or directly into level soil. Both types of nesting site are vulnerable, those on level ground are vulnerable to trampling and small predators, whereas those in cliffs, which are often the banks of rivers, are vulnerable to flash floods, which can wipe out dozens or hundreds of nests. Many species will nest either on cliffs or on level ground but prefer cliffs, although [[Böhm's bee-eater]] always nests on level ground. The burrows are dug by both birds in the pair, sometimes assisted by helpers. The soil or sand is loosened with jabs of the sharp bill, then the feet are used to kick out the loose soil. It has been suggested that riverine [[loess]] deposits that do not crumble when excavated may be favoured by the larger bee-eaters.<ref name="loessbee" /><ref name="loessc" /> There may be several false starts where nests are dug partway before being abandoned; in solitary species this can give the impression of colonial living even when that is not the case. The process of nest building can take as long as twenty days to complete, during which time the bill can be blunted and shortened. Nests are generally used only for a single season and are rarely used twice by the bee-eaters, but abandoned nests may be used by other birds, snakes and bats as shelter and breeding sites.<ref name="ecosystem" />

No nesting material is used in the breeding cavity.<ref name="frybeeater19"/> One white egg is laid each day until the typical clutch of about five eggs is complete.<ref name="hbwfamily" /> [[egg incubation|Incubation]] starts soon after the first egg is laid, with both parents sharing this duty in the day, but only the female at night. The eggs hatch in about 20 days, and the newly hatched young are blind, pink and naked. For most species, the eggs do not all hatch at the same time, so if food is in short supply only the older chicks survive.<ref name="hbwfamily" /> Adults and young [[defecation|defecate]] in the nest, and their pellets are trodden underfoot, making the nest cavity very malodorous.<ref name="frybeeater19"/> The chicks are in the nest for about 30 days.<ref name="hbwfamily" />

Bee-eaters may nest as single pairs, loose colonies or dense colonies. Smaller species tend to nest solitarily, while medium-sized bee-eaters have small colonies, and larger and migratory species nest in large colonies that can number in the thousands. In some instances, colonies may contain more than one species of bee-eater.<ref name="kf98" /> In species that nest gregariously, breeding pairs may be assisted by up to five helpers.<ref name="ffh" /> These birds may alternate between breeding themselves and helping in successive years.<ref name="hbwfamily" />