Bird Album
African Green Bee-eater
Merops viridissimus Swainson, 1837
15 gWeight
The African green bee-eater (Merops viridissimus) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
Busiest months: January and March · Most records: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Senegal
Where and when it's recorded
African Green Bee-eater has been recorded at 65 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Parc Urbain Bangr-WeoogoBurkina Faso314 records
- Luxor / – Jazira Al Awamiyyah (Crocodile Island)Egypt162 records
- Aswan – Nile below Low Dam /Egypt91 records
More places
- Richard Toll – zone aéroportSenegal78 records
- Aswan – Nile Riverbank South of King of Egypt Hotel /Egypt72 records
- Tono Dam & vicinityGhana68 records
- Zakouma NPChad54 records
- Waza NPCameroon47 records
- Aswan – Elephantine Island /Egypt43 records
- Kitchener's Island /Egypt43 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The African green bee-eater (Merops viridissimus) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found throughout arid Sahel region of Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and has expanded its range north to Egypt over the past few decades.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the African Green Bee-eater?
The African Green Bee-eater weighs around 15 g.
Where does the African Green Bee-eater live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Senegal to Egypt, Ethiopia and eastern Sudan. It is most often recorded in Egypt, Burkina Faso and Senegal.
When is the best time to see the African Green Bee-eater?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the African Green Bee-eater endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the African Green Bee-eater as Least Concern.
What does the African Green Bee-eater eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the African Green Bee-eater in?
It belongs to the family Bee-eaters (Meropidae), order Coraciiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 15 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 91 mm
- Tail
- 135 mm
- Bill
- 31 mm
- Tarsus
- 10 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Senegal to Egypt, Ethiopia and eastern Sudan
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Bee-eaters Meropidae
- Genus
- Merops
Other birds in the genus Merops
Black-headed Bee-eaterMerops breweri
Blue-headed Bee-eaterMerops muelleri
Blue-moustached Bee-eaterMerops mentalis
Black Bee-eaterMerops gularis
Swallow-tailed Bee-eaterMerops hirundineus
Little Bee-eaterMerops pusillus
Blue-breasted Bee-eaterMerops variegatus
Ethiopian Bee-eaterMerops lafresnayii
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaterMerops oreobates
Red-throated Bee-eaterMerops bulocki
White-fronted Bee-eaterMerops bullockoides
Somali Bee-eaterMerops revoilii
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Mourad Harzallah. ↗
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