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Brown-throated Martins Reused European Bee-eater Burrows and Mobbed a Snake at One Nest

European bee-eater at a nest burrow in Mělnicko, Czech Republic
Research · Behaviour

A 2026 short communication from Morocco documents three cases in which brown-throated martins (Riparia paludicola mauritanica) used disused burrows of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) for roosting or nesting, together with one observation of martins joining nest defence against a snake.

European bee-eaters excavate long nesting tunnels in earthen banks and cliffs. Brown-throated martins also breed in burrows, but in Morocco their breeding season can occur earlier than that of the migratory bee-eaters. This difference in timing allows the same tunnel to be used by the two species at different times. The observations came from a multi-year monitoring programme in the Zemmour region; a previous Morocco-wide study of martin nesting habitat found no use of European bee-eater burrows, suggesting that the behaviour is uncommon.

The same burrow was reused by both species

In one of the observations, the same bee-eater burrow was used across two successive bee-eater breeding seasons, with brown-throated martins occupying it in between. The martins used the tunnel for both shelter and breeding before the bee-eaters returned to use it again.

Martins mobbed a snake at a bee-eater nest

The most striking interaction occurred when a horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis) entered a burrow and preyed on European bee-eater chicks. Brown-throated martins gathered around the entrance and mobbed the snake. The authors interpret this as a possible benefit to bee-eaters that share or alternately use burrows with the martins.

For the martins, the advantage is clearer: abandoned or temporarily unused bee-eater tunnels provide ready-made places to roost and nest. The researchers therefore describe the association as potentially mutualistic, with the martins gaining shelter while bee-eaters may gain additional nest defence.

The authors also point out that the relationship may have costs that have not yet been measured. Competition for burrows and transmission of parasites between the two species remain possible disadvantages and are highlighted as questions for future study. The observations nevertheless show that a bee-eater nest tunnel can function as a shared resource used by two different bird species at different times of the year.

Sources and image credit

  1. Hilmi, M., Mahamoud, A., El Agbani, M. A., & Qninba, A. (2026). Observations of Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola nesting and roosting in burrows of European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster. Ornithological Science, 25(1), 91–96. https://doi.org/10.2326/osj.25.91

Image: Skot / Wikimedia Commons — European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) at a nest burrow in Mělnicko, Czech Republic, photographed 10 August 2024. Illustrative photograph of the type of burrow reused by brown-throated martins; not from the Moroccan study. · CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Source

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