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Australian Bee-eater Merops ornatus swallowing stones

Bee-eaters, of the Family Meropidae, are known to ingest small pieces of grit as gastroliths and while a few anecdotal reports of them eating slightly larger gastroliths exist, documented evidence is lacking. A Rainbow Bee-eater was photographed swallowing a small stone, possibly for the first time, and this is reviewed and discussed.

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