Blue-moustached Bee-eater
Merops mentalis
NTNear Threatened
- Family
- Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
- Order
- Coraciiformes
Overview
The blue-moustached bee-eater (Merops mentalis) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae, a group of brightly colored Palearctic and Afrotropical birds noted for feeding primarily on venomous Hymenoptera such as bees and wasps. The blue-moustached bee-eater is one of 31 species within this family. It is a small, dark bee-eater measuring about 19 cm in length. Both sexes are generally similar in appearance, with predominantly purplish-blue plumage, a rich chestnut mantle, back, and wings.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Mali and Sierra Leone to Cameroon (Douala).
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Blue-moustached 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.
