Ethiopian Bee-eater (Merops lafresnayii)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Ethiopian Bee-eater

Merops lafresnayii Guérin-Méneville, 1843

22 gWeight

The Ethiopian bee-eater (Merops lafresnayii) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.

Busiest months: November · Most records: Ethiopia, Eritrea

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Ethiopian Bee-eater has been recorded at 26 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Hara Langano LodgeEthiopia175 records
  2. Addis Ababa – Ghion HotelEthiopia146 records
  3. Wondo GenetEthiopia145 records
More places
  1. Bishangari LodgeEthiopia126 records
  2. Debre Libanos – Lodge and Portuguese BridgeEthiopia124 records
  3. Lake Awassa – United Africa Shebelle Hotel areaEthiopia120 records
  4. Lake Ziway – southwestern shoreEthiopia95 records
  5. Melka GhebduEthiopia68 records
  6. Lake Langano – Simbo LodgeEthiopia63 records
  7. Debre Libanos MonasteryEthiopia58 records

Countries and regions with the most records

EthiopiaEritrea

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 Ethiopian bee-eater (Merops lafresnayii) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Ethiopia and Sudan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of either blue-breasted bee-eater M. variegatus or cinnamon-chested bee-eater M. oreobates, from both of which it is allopatric with a separate distribution.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Ethiopian Bee-eater?

The Ethiopian Bee-eater weighs around 22 g.

Where does the Ethiopian Bee-eater live?

Its breeding range: Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia and eastern South Sudan. It is most often recorded in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

When is the best time to see the Ethiopian Bee-eater?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Ethiopian Bee-eater endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Ethiopian Bee-eater as Least Concern.

What does the Ethiopian Bee-eater eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Ethiopian Bee-eater in?

It belongs to the family Bee-eaters (Meropidae), order Coraciiformes.

At a glance

Weight
22 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
96 mm
Tail
80 mm
Bill
34 mm
Tarsus
11 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia and eastern South Sudan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Bee-eaters Meropidae
Genus
Merops

Other birds in the genus Merops

Ethiopian Bee-eater

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Asrat Ayalew Gella. ↗

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