THE BEE-EATER MEROPS-APIASTER AS INDICATOR FOR CLIMATIC-CHANGE - NOTES ON THE INVASION IN THE YEAR 1644 TO BAVARIA, SWITZERLAND AND BADEN

The discovery of a document from 1644 in the Museum Heineanum at Halbe rstadt (Germany) encouraged to collect, so far as possible, all comple te records (date, place) of the Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) north of t he Alps in the period between 1500 and 1800. Comparison with long term climate curbs proved, that the Bee-Eater is a sensitive indicator for mild winters and above-average spring temperatures. On the other hand , the close correlation between climatic factors and the expansion of this species to central Europe is a strong evidence that birds are suf ficiently recorded by old historical sources to make use of them as hi storical bio-indicators.