Photo: Original: Francesco Veronesi; this edit: MPF / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Blue-headed Bee-eater
Merops muelleri
Blue-headed Bee-eater (Merops muelleri) — Kingfishers & Rollers of Africa.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Blue-headed Bee-eater (Merops muelleri) is a member of the Meropidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 22.5 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 muelleri
Quick facts
- Weight
- 22.5 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Meropidae
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Blue-headed Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Blue-headed Bee-eater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Blue-headed Bee-eater (Merops muelleri) is a species of bird in the Meropidae family, part of the order Coraciiformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF s Cameroon to w Kenya.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 22.5 g, with a wing length of about 8.6 cm and a tail of around 7.4 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 1.6 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Blue-headed Bee-eater?
The Blue-headed Bee-eater is a small bird that weighs around 22.5 g.
Where does the Blue-headed Bee-eater live?
The Blue-headed Bee-eater is found across Africa with a range covering AF s Cameroon to w Kenya, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Blue-headed Bee-eater belong to?
The Blue-headed Bee-eater (Merops muelleri) belongs to the Meropidae family, in the order Coraciiformes.
What does the Blue-headed Bee-eater eat?
The Blue-headed Bee-eater is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Blue-headed Bee-eater migrate?
The Blue-headed Bee-eater is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Blue-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 Blue-headed Bee-eater make?
1 real field recording of the Blue-headed Bee-eater can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Blue-headed Bee-eater's range?
The Blue-headed Bee-eater has a mapped global range of about 1.6 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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