Merops cyanophrys
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Arabian green bee-eater (Merops cyanophrys) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It has a patchy distribution in the arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula from Saudi Arabia south to Yemen and east to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and has expanded its range north to the southern Levant over the past few decades.
Although initially described as distinct species, the Arabian and African (M. viridissimus) green bee-eaters were grouped with the Asian green bee-eater (M. orientalis) as the green bee-eater by Sibley and Monroe in 1990. However, in 2014, the IUCN Red List and BirdLife International again split them as distinct species. A 2020 study found significant differences in morphology and voice between all three species, so they were also split from one another by the International Ornithologists' Union in 2021. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an Arabian Green Bee-eater sighting in Riyadh on a given day, based on 56 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 16th most-seen of the 78 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report an Arabian Green Bee-eater in Riyadh on a given day, against about 20% in January, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Arabian Green 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.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Arabian Green Bee-eater sightings, Riyadh has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates, about 20%) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates, about 20%).
Same genus: Merops
The closest relatives of the Arabian Green Bee-eater that you can see in Riyadh (genus Merops, Typical Bee-eaters) are European Bee-eater (about 20%) and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Arabian Green Bee-eater is recorded against all the birds logged in Riyadh (56 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.
