Typical Bee-eaters
Merops
Merops is a large genus of bee-eaters, a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. The members of this Old World family are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. They predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air.
28 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 28 known species
European Bee-eater
speciesMerops apiaster
Asian Green Bee-eater
speciesMerops orientalis
Rainbow Bee-eater
speciesMerops ornatus
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
speciesMerops philippinus
Little Bee-eater
speciesMerops pusillus
White-fronted Bee-eater
speciesMerops bullockoides
Blue-throated Bee-eater
speciesMerops viridis
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
speciesMerops leschenaulti
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
speciesMerops persicus
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
speciesMerops hirundineus
White-throated Bee-eater
speciesMerops albicollis
Southern Carmine Bee-eater
speciesMerops nubicoides
Arabian Green Bee-eater
speciesMerops cyanophrys
Red-throated Bee-eater
speciesMerops bulocki
Olive Bee-eater
speciesMerops superciliosus
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
speciesMerops oreobates
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
speciesMerops nubicus
African Green Bee-eater
speciesMerops viridissimus
Blue-breasted Bee-eater
speciesMerops variegatus
Black Bee-eater
speciesMerops gularis
Rufous-crowned Bee-eater
speciesMerops americanus
Ethiopian Bee-eater
speciesMerops lafresnayii
Böhm's Bee-eater
speciesMerops boehmi
Rosy Bee-eater
speciesMerops malimbicus
Somali Bee-eater
speciesMerops revoilii
Black-headed Bee-eater
speciesMerops breweri
Blue-headed Bee-eater
speciesMerops muelleri
Blue-moustached Bee-eater
speciesMerops mentalis
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.762
Ornithology
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.908
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.22
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.38
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.93
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.119
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.127
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.169
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.187
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.305
François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
François Le Vaillant · 1807 · p.311
Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des colibris (1802)
Jean Baptiste Audebert · 1802 · p.343
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Merops in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 2184.