Merops ornatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The rainbow bee-eater (Merops ornatus) is a bird species in the bee-eater family Meropidae. The rainbow bee-eater is the only species of bee-eater found in Australia and is monotypic, meaning it has no accepted subspecies. Its closest relative is most likely the olive bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) of southern and eastern Africa, but molecular phylogenetic analysis places the rainbow bee-eater as closest relative with the European bee-eater (M. apiaster). It was first described by John Latham in 1801.
The generic name is Ancient Greek merops which means 'bee-eater' and the specific epithet is Latin ornatus 'ornate, adorned'. Rainbow bee-eaters are brilliantly coloured birds that grow to be 23–28 cm (9.1–11.0 in) in length, including the elongated tail feathers, and weighing 20–33 g (0.71–1.16 oz). The upper back and wings are green, and the lower back and under-tail coverts are bright blue. The undersides of the wings and primary flight feathers are rufous to copper with green edges and tipped with black, and the tail is black to deep violet. The rainbow bee-eater's two central tail feathers are longer than the other tail feathers, and are longer... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 12 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 16 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 17 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 18 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Rainbow Bee-eater sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 1,408 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Rainbow Bee-eater in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against about 40% in January, the lowest month. Those are among Kakadu National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 350 mm in January. February has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rainbow Bee-eater sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Rainbow Bee-eater sightings, Kakadu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 60%) and Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Coraciiformes
The closest relatives of the Rainbow Bee-eater that you can see in Kakadu National Park (order Coraciiformes, Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies) are Blue-winged Kookaburra (about 60%), Forest Kingfisher (about 50%) and Azure Kingfisher (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rainbow Bee-eater is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (1,408 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.
