29. Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater It’s impossible to know what kind of mood a bird is in – except perhaps when they are feeling amorous or frightened: they don’t smile (as dogs can), as far we can see, nor frown or shed tears. But some birds seem at least to be of a cheerful disposition. That’s what I would say about these Cinnamon-breasted Bee-eaters. Though they nest in tunnels in the earth, they are neat, well-dressed birds with a splendidly gorgeous get- up: green back, wings and crown; dark black eye-liner and collar (for the males), and a beautiful cinnamon-coloured (there is no other word for it) breast. They are well-behaved too, sitting in neat rows, sometimes touchingly close together as if they like being together, hanging out together and looking for bees. They will suddenly leave their perch, dash off and return with a bee in the beak, sitting down again with a look of satisfaction in the same place they left – somehow, they just seem to be basically happy little creatures. Eating bees, though, has to be done with care, as you can imagine: these birds rub them carefully on the branch until the venom is ejected from their stings and then – down they go. Birds of AFRICAMA House 62 Birds of AFRICAMA House 63