Photo: Roger Culos / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Little Bee-eater
Merops pusillus
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) — Kingfishers & Rollers of Africa.
Found across 5 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) is a member of the Meropidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 15.1 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Coraciiformes
- Family Meropidae Bee-eaters
- Genus Merops
- Species pusillus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 15.1 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Meropidae
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Little Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open grassland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Little Bee-eater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) is a member of the Meropidae family, within the order Coraciiformes. It occurs naturally across Africa. Its distribution covers AF widespread.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 15.1 g, with a wing length of about 7.9 cm and a tail of around 6.4 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 14.4 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Little Bee-eater?
The Little Bee-eater is a small bird that weighs around 15.1 g.
Where does the Little Bee-eater live?
The Little Bee-eater is found across Africa with a range covering AF widespread, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Little Bee-eater belong to?
The Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) belongs to the Meropidae family, in the order Coraciiformes.
What does the Little Bee-eater eat?
The Little Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Little Bee-eater migrate?
The Little Bee-eater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Little Bee-eater endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Little Bee-eater make?
1 real field recording of the Little Bee-eater — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Little Bee-eater's range?
The Little Bee-eater has a mapped global range of about 14.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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