Nyctyornis athertoni
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The blue-bearded bee-eater (Nyctyornis athertoni) is a species of bee-eater found in much of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. This bee-eater is found in forest clearings. It is found mainly in the Malayan region but extends west into peninsular India. The blue feathers of its throat are elongated and often fluffed giving it its name. They have a loud call but are not as gregarious or active as the smaller bee-eaters, and their square ended tail lacks the typical "wires" made up of the shafts of the longer central tail feathers found in many other bee-eaters.
This is probably the largest species of the bee-eater family. Adults measure 31 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in) in length and weigh 70 to 93 g (2.5 to 3.3 oz). This species has a large sickle shaped bill and the square ended tail lacks the "wires" that are typical of smaller bee-eaters. The bird is grass green with a turquoise forehead, face and chin. The feathers of the throat are elongated giving it a bearded appearance when they are fluffed out. The belly is yellowish to olive with streaks of green or blue. The peninsular Indian populations are said to be paler green than the northeast Indian populations... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 4 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 9 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 11 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 16 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-bearded Bee-eater sighting in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, based on 78 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 159th most-seen of the 272 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, September and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-bearded Bee-eater in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–August and October–November, the lowest months. Those are among Nagarhole National Park's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against 270 mm in July.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-bearded Bee-eater sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
14th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Blue-bearded Bee-eater sightings, Nagarhole National Park ranks 14th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 30%), Khao Yai National Park (Thailand, about 20%) and Royal Manas National Park (Bhutan, about 20%).
Same family: Meropidae
The closest relatives of the Blue-bearded Bee-eater that you can see in Nagarhole National Park (family Meropidae, Bee-eaters) are Asian Green Bee-eater (about 40%), Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (about 20%) and Blue-tailed Bee-eater (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-bearded Bee-eater is recorded against all the birds logged in Nagarhole National Park (78 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.
