Sonia McNaught, Rainbow Bee-Eaters: The Real MVPs of Parent Life (ANIMAL & NATURE 2025)

Who needs coffee when you're a Rainbow Bee-eater with a nest full of bottomless-pit babies? These feathered firecrackers, dressed like they raided a tropical paint store, spend their days in a blur—zipping around collecting gourmet insect snacks (bees optional, drama guaranteed). I watched from a respectful distance as mum and dad pulled off aerial acrobatics worthy of a circus act—just to deliver yet another crunchy snack to the demanding little mouths below. Vibrant, frantic, and hilariously relatable—because whether you're human or bird, parenting means running on empty... and looking fabulous while doing it.

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