Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Merops philippinus
- Family
- Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
- Order
- Coraciiformes
Overview
The blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops philippinus) is a bee-eater species mostly seen in open habitats close to water. It is widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia where many populations are strongly migratory, and seen seasonally in many parts but breeding colonially in small areas across their range, mostly in river valleys, where they nest by tunneling into loamy sand banks.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds northern Pakistan eastward to southeastern China and Philippines, and southward in Central India and southern Sri Lanka, and eastward in Wallacea through New Guinea and New Britain; winters to southern India, Sri Lanka, Malayan Peninsula, and Greater Sundas.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Blue-tailed bee-eater
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
