Merops pusillus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The little bee-eater (Merops pusillus) is a bird species in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They should not be confused with the little green bee-eater (Merops orientalis). Migration is limited to seasonal movements depending on rainfall patterns. They inhabit various biomes, such as savanna, bushveld, and even marsh-like areas.
Members of this species, like other bee-eaters, are rich and brightly coloured slender birds. They have green upper parts, yellow throats, black gorgets, and rich brown upper breasts fading to buffish ochre on the belly. Their wings are green and brown. Their beaks and legs are black. Tail is square in shape with a slight fork or v-shape at the end. They reach a length of 15–17 cm, which makes them the smallest African bee-eater. Sexes are alike. Often silent, their call is a soft "seep". They are often hard to spot since their green backs and wings act as camouflage.
These are abundant and tame birds, familiar throughout their range. There have been estimated to be between 60 and 80 million little bee-eaters. They breed in open country with bushes, preferably near water. Just as the name... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazzaville | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 2 | Dar es-Salaam | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Yaoundé | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | |
| 4 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 5 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 6 | N'Djamena | 🇹🇩 Chad | |
| 7 | Luanda | 🇦🇴 Angola | |
| 8 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 9 | Bujumbura | 🇧🇮 Burundi | |
| 10 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Bee-eater sighting in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 220th most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Bee-eater in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little 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.
43rd of 43
Of the 43 parks where we can rate Little Bee-eater sightings, Nyungwe National Park ranks 43rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 80%), South Luangwa National Park (Zambia, about 70%) and Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Merops
The closest relatives of the Little Bee-eater that you can see in Nyungwe National Park (genus Merops, Typical Bee-eaters) are Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater (about 40%) 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 Little Bee-eater is recorded against all the birds logged in Nyungwe National Park (8 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.
