Birds · Coraciiformes · Meropidae

Northern Carmine Bee-eater

Merops nubicus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The largest of the bee-eaters, an intense carmine pink rare among birds, with a blue-green crown and throat, black mask, red eyes and long central tail feathers that stream out in flight.

Weight

34 g – 60 g

Size

9.5 cm – 27 cm

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

No up-to-date global estimate. A rough estimate from the 1980s put the two carmine bee-eater species combined at 5 million individuals

SavannaOceanInsectivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Savanna Ocean

43countries 5parks1same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt nests in colonies of thousands of burrows and hunts insects from the backs of ostriches and antelopes.
It comes to bush fires and hunts the fleeing insects alongside the flames; in the Manding languages it is called 'the cousin of fire'.
It nests in extremely dense colonies of between 100 and 1,000 nests, and exceptionally up to 10,000, averaging some 60 holes per square metre.
It perches on large mammals, ground birds and even moving vehicles to take advantage of the insects they flush.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Savannah, riverbanks and sandy bluffs
Gestation / incubation: About 3 weeks, shared by both parents. The chicks fledge 23 to 30 days after hatching
Litter / clutch size: 2-5 white eggs laid at intervals of about 48 hours

Sources consulted: Fry, Boesman y Kirwan 2020, Birds of the World (Cornell Lab); IUCN Red List (e.T22683768A92999759); Animal Diversity Web; San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library; del Hoyo et al. 2001, Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 6