Blue-throated Bee-eater

Blue-throated Bee-eater

Merops viridis

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Kuala Lumpur

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

771 Verified sightings at Kuala Lumpur
3,879 In all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Blue-throated Bee-eater

The blue-throated bee-eater (Merops viridis) is a species of bird in the bee-eater family. It is found in much of southeast Asia, in subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. Their diet consists mostly of bees, wasps, and dragonflies. Blue-throated bee-eater is a medium-large species of bee-eater with brightly coloured plumage consisting of a red-brown nape, dark green wings, light green breast, and their signature blue throat. The juvenile plumage has a dark green head and wings and light green breast, only developing their full plumage in adulthood. They have a rich variety of songs and calls, including long calls which allow them to communicate long distances in the forest.

The conservation status of the blue-throated bee-eaters is of "least concern" due to their large distribution and stability of its population as of 2024. However, deforestation may be its biggest threat, destroying its habitat and decreasing bird diversity generally.

The blue-throated bee-eater was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Merops viridis. The type locality is the Indonesian island... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:41

Philippines · 2026

© Kelle Moreau · XC1163234 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:26

Malaysia · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1077548 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:57

Philippines · 2024

© Greg Irving · XC897387 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~60%
2 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~50%
3 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
4 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
5 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
6 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
7 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
8 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
9 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
10 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
11 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
2 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
~30%
3 Kuching 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
4 Johor Bahru 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
5 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
<5%
6 Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Blue-throated Bee-eater in Kuala Lumpur?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-throated Bee-eater sighting in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, based on 771 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 15th most-seen of the 228 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Blue-throated Bee-eater in Kuala Lumpur?

March–April, August, October and December

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-throated Bee-eater in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, against about 30% in January–February, May–July, September and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Blue-throated Bee-eater?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-throated Bee-eater sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Kuala Lumpur the best place to see a Blue-throated Bee-eater?

Yes

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Blue-throated Bee-eater sightings, Kuala Lumpur has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Singapore (Singapore, about 30%) and Kuching (Malaysia, about 20%).

Where does the Blue-throated Bee-eater sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Blue-throated Bee-eater is recorded against all the birds logged in Kuala Lumpur (771 verified sightings), 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.

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