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ShrublandCavity nestTiny · 13 g
ID tip
The Somali bee-eater grows to a length of 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) and is the smallest member of the genus. The sexes are similar in appearance and are slender birds with spiky plumage on the head. The crown is glossy green and the eyebrow blue. The upper parts of the body are varying shades of green, the lower back and rump are bright blue and the tail is bluish-green. The cheeks, chin and throat are white, and the breast and belly cinnamon-buff. The beak is black, the eyes reddish-brown and the legs dark grey.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Somali Bee-eater
One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is November, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Somali Bee-eater
The map shades 3 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
About the Somali Bee-eater
The Somali bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Tanzania. This is a small bee-eater that prefers arid country and desert areas where it may be locally common. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern", postulating that clearing of woodland and forest is creating new suitable habitat for the bird and that its population trend may therefore be rising.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Blue-headed Bee-eaterMerops muelleriThe sexes are similar and the length of the adult is about 19 cm (7.5 in).
Rosy Bee-eaterMerops malimbicusThe adult is a distinctively colored bird that grows to a length of 22 to 25 cm (9 to 10 in) with tail-streamers adding 5 cm (2 in) to this, and weighing about 45 g (1.6 oz).
Böhm's Bee-eaterMerops boehmiBöhm's bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
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