Merops hirundineus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a species of bee-eater native to sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds predominantly on insects, especially bees and their relatives, which are caught in flight from an open perch. Its vivid colors and forked tail are distinctive.
Like other bee-eaters, this is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily visible forked tail make it unmistakable. It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak. Swallow-tailed bee-eaters can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers. Sexes are alike.
It breeds in savannah woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. It is partially migratory, moving in response to rainfall patterns. This is a species which prefers somewhat more wooded country than most bee-eaters. This attractive bird is readily approached. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. The swallowtail has a preference for honeybees.
These bee-eaters nest as pairs or in very small colonies in sandy... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 8 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 9 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 10 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 11 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 12 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 13 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 15 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 16 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 17 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 18 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Swallow-tailed Bee-eater sighting in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 366th most-seen of the 400 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Swallow-tailed Bee-eater in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Swallow-tailed Bee-eater sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
18th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Swallow-tailed Bee-eater sightings, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park ranks 18th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 30%), Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 30%) and Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%).
Same genus: Merops
The closest relatives of the Swallow-tailed Bee-eater that you can see in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (genus Merops, Typical Bee-eaters) are Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater (about 50%) and Black Bee-eater (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is recorded against all the birds logged in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
