Merops oreobates
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The cinnamon-chested bee-eater (Merops oreobates) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is mainly native to the Albertine Rift montane forests and the East African montane forests of East Africa, in the regions surrounding Lake Victoria.
The species measures 22 centimetres (8.7 in) in length and weighs 17–38 grams (0.60–1.34 oz). The sexes are alike. They have bright green heads, upper parts, and tails; their chins and throats are yellow and outlined in black, with a white extension to the side; their breasts are cinnamon-brown, darkening towards the belly. When perched, their stance is upright with the tail pointing downward. The tail is blackish with an orange base and white tip when seen from the front, while from the back it is mainly green, with black edges visible when it is flared. This bird can be distinguished from the somewhat similar little bee-eater by their larger size, darker colouring, white cheek patches, and the upland habitat where they are found.
This bird lives in upland regions, usually between 1,800 and 2,300 metres (5,900 and 7,500 ft), and can be found associated with wooded hillsides and forest edges, clearings, plantations... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 7 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 11 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 12 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 15 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 16 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 17 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 18 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 19 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 20 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 21 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 373 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th most-seen of the 371 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, October and December–January
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against about 20% in February–April, June–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cinnamon-chested 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.
5th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 5th at about 20%. The best odds are in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, about 50%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 40%) and Aberdare National Park (Kenya, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Merops
The closest relatives of the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater that you can see in Nairobi National Park (genus Merops, Typical Bee-eaters) are Little Bee-eater (about 60%) and European Bee-eater (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi National Park (373 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.
