Photo: Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Merops leschenaulti
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) — Kingfishers & Rollers of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) is a member of the Meropidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 27.2 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 leschenaulti
Where it lives
Himalayas from northwestern India and southwestern India and Sri Lanka to Andaman Is., southern China, Vietnam, and northern Malay Pen.; disjunctly Java and Bali
Quick facts
- Weight
- 27.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Meropidae
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) is a species of bird in the Meropidae family, part of the order Coraciiformes. It occurs naturally across South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR Himalayas from nw India and sw India and Sri Lanka to Andaman Is., s China, Vietnam, and n Malay Pen.; disjunctly Java and Bali.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 27.2 g, with a wing length of about 10.6 cm and a tail of around 8 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 2.8 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater?
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is a small bird that weighs around 27.2 g.
Where does the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater live?
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR Himalayas from nw India and sw India and Sri Lanka to Andaman Is., s China, Vietnam, and n Malay Pen.; disjunctly Java and Bali, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater belong to?
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) belongs to the Meropidae family, in the order Coraciiformes.
What does the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater eat?
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater migrate?
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Chestnut-headed 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 Chestnut-headed Bee-eater make?
1 real field recording of the Chestnut-headed 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 Chestnut-headed Bee-eater's range?
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater has a mapped global range of about 2.8 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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