Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)
About the Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a species of bee-eater native to sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds predominantly on insects, especially bees and their relatives, which are caught in flight from an open perch. Its vivid colors and forked tail are distinctive. Like other bee-eaters, this is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily visible forked tail make it unmistakable. It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak. Swallow-tailed bee-eaters can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers. Sexes are alike.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 12 recordings for this species: 1 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalisrecording
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinusrecording
- Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaterMerops oreobatesrecording
- European Bee-eaterMerops apiasterrecording
- White-throated Bee-eaterMerops albicollisrecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.