Black-headed Bee-eater
Merops breweri
The Black-headed Bee-eater (Merops breweri) is a legendary bee-eater found in 7 countries, weighing about 50 g. The black-headed bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
About the Black-headed Bee-eater
The black-headed bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in forests in tropical Central and West Africa, its range including Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Sudan.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The adult black-headed bee-eater is between 25 and 28 cm (10 and 11 in) in length, excluding the 8 cm (3 in) tail streamers. The sexes are similar and it is a distinctive bird with a black head, green back, wings and tail, and buff breast and belly, with a rufous band across the lower breast. The juvenile has a black chin and throat. The only other bee-eaters living in forests within its range are the black bee-eater (Merops gularis) and the blue-headed bee-eater (Merops muelleri), and these have different colourings and are considerably smaller.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in September. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black-headed Bee-eater?
- The adult black-headed bee-eater is between 25 and 28 cm (10 and 11 in) in length, excluding the 8 cm (3 in) tail streamers. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black-headed Bee-eater?
- The Black-headed Bee-eater is a small sized bird weighing about 50 g.
- Where can you see a Black-headed Bee-eater?
- The Black-headed Bee-eater occurs in 7 countries, including Gabon, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, the Central African Republic and Ghana.
- What birds look similar to a Black-headed Bee-eater?
- The Black-headed Bee-eater is most easily confused with the Blue-moustached Bee-eater, the Blue-headed Bee-eater and the Somali Bee-eater.
- Is the Black-headed Bee-eater endangered?
- The Black-headed Bee-eater is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black-headed Bee-eater for real
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