Photo: Tisha Mukherjee / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Merops philippinus
Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) — Kingfishers & Rollers of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) is a member of the Meropidae family found in Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 34 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 philippinus
Where it lives
India and Sri Lanka to southern China, southeastern Asia, Philippines, Sulawesi, Lombok to Timor (Lesser Sundas), coastal northeastern, southern, southeastern New Guinea and New Britain group (southeastern Bismarck Arch.)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 34 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Meropidae
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Habitat
- Wetland, lake & coast
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of wetlands, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) is a member of the Meropidae family, within the order Coraciiformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR, AU India and Sri Lanka to s China, se Asia, Philippines, Sulawesi, Lombok to Timor (Lesser Sundas), coastal ne, s, se New Guinea and New Britain group (se Bismarck Arch.).
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 34 g, with a wing length of about 13 cm and a tail of around 10.6 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 4.3 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Blue-tailed Bee-eater?
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater is a small bird that weighs around 34 g.
Where does the Blue-tailed Bee-eater live?
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater is found across Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR, AU India and Sri Lanka to s China, se Asia, Philippines, Sulawesi, Lombok to Timor (Lesser Sundas), coastal ne, s, se New Guinea and New Britain group (se Bismarck Arch.), where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.
What family does the Blue-tailed Bee-eater belong to?
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) belongs to the Meropidae family, in the order Coraciiformes.
What does the Blue-tailed Bee-eater eat?
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Blue-tailed Bee-eater migrate?
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Blue-tailed 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 Blue-tailed Bee-eater make?
1 real field recording of the Blue-tailed 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 Blue-tailed Bee-eater's range?
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater has a mapped global range of about 4.3 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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