Bird Album
Black Bee-eater
Merops gularis Shaw, 1798
20 cmLength27 gWeight
The black bee-eater (Merops gularis) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
Most records: Uganda, Ghana, Gabon
Where and when it's recorded
Black Bee-eater has been recorded at 84 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Bwindi-Impenetrable NP – 'The Neck'Uganda328 records
- Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest NP – BuhomaUganda264 records
- Kibale NPUganda223 records
More places
- Antwikwaa – forest edge & farm scrubGhana210 records
- Ankasa NPGhana184 records
- Kakum NP – CanopyGhana180 records
- Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest NP – Buhoma TrackUganda175 records
- Atewa Range – upland forest & ridgeGhana174 records
- Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest NP – Waterfall WalkUganda165 records
- Atewa – farm scrub and degraded forestGhana124 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 black bee-eater (Merops gularis) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest where it is found at the edges of the rainforest and in secondary woodland.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black Bee-eater?
The Black Bee-eater is about 20 cm long and weighs around 27 g.
Where does the Black Bee-eater live?
Its breeding range: Africa: central, western. It is most often recorded in Uganda, Ghana and Gabon.
Is the Black Bee-eater endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Bee-eater as Least Concern.
What does the Black Bee-eater eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Black Bee-eater in?
It belongs to the family Bee-eaters (Meropidae), order Coraciiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 20 cm
- Weight
- 27 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 87 mm
- Tail
- 72 mm
- Bill
- 35 mm
- Tarsus
- 12 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: central, western
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
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
White-throated Bee-eaterMerops albicollis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Nik Borrow. ↗
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