Photo: Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
Merops nubicus
Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus) — Kingfishers & Rollers of Africa.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus) is a member of the Meropidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 42.4 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 nubicus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 42.4 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Meropidae
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Northern Carmine 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 Northern Carmine Bee-eater is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus) belongs to the Meropidae family of the order Coraciiformes. It occurs naturally across Africa. Its distribution covers AF Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 42.4 g, with a wing length of about 14.5 cm and a tail of around 16.4 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 6.7 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Northern Carmine Bee-eater?
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater is a small bird that weighs around 42.4 g.
Where does the Northern Carmine Bee-eater live?
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater is found across Africa with a range covering AF Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Northern Carmine Bee-eater belong to?
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus) belongs to the Meropidae family, in the order Coraciiformes.
What does the Northern Carmine Bee-eater eat?
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Northern Carmine Bee-eater migrate?
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Northern Carmine 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 Northern Carmine Bee-eater make?
1 real field recording of the Northern Carmine 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 Northern Carmine Bee-eater's range?
The Northern Carmine Bee-eater has a mapped global range of about 6.7 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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