European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) lives in open sandy areas across Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Hear the European Bee-Eater
A real field recording of the European Bee-Eater, made in the wild.
A single European bee-eater can swallow about 250 bees each day, yet those insects make up only a tiny slice of the local hive's workforce. A study in Spain showed bees form 69.4%-82% of its meals, but the birds consume less than 1% of the worker bees in the areas they inhabit.
When spring arrives, European bee-eaters dig tunnels up to a metre deep into sandy banks and lay five to eight white eggs in late May-early June; females typically lay four to seven eggs. Both parents brood the clutch for roughly three weeks before the chicks hatch, then continue feeding the fledglings for about four weeks until they leave the burrow.
The European bee-eater boasts the widest distribution of any bee-eater, breeding across southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Its overall range stretches to an estimated 11 million square kilometres, spanning from Finland in the north to South Africa in the south.
By excavating deep burrows, European bee-eaters act as ecosystem engineers. Their digging lets rain, sunlight and nutrients reach soil layers that would otherwise stay dry, and the abandoned tunnels become shelters for species like European rollers, little owls and rock sparrows. The microclimate inside these burrows can differ markedly from the surrounding ground.
In the wild, European bee-eaters can live up to 5.9 years, and despite a recent decline they remain abundant, with 480,000-1,000,000 breeding individuals counted. The IUCN classifies them as Least Concern, meaning current numbers are well above thresholds that trigger conservation alarms. Their stable status reflects successful adaptation to varied habitats and migratory routes across three continents.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
As the sun rises over the rolling hills, a flurry of iridescent feathers bursts into view, the European Bee-Eater unfolding its slender form like a living prism, its wings beating in a hypnotic rhythm as it takes to the sky. With an effortless glide, it navigates the warm air currents, its bright plumage glinting like a scattering of jewels as it pursues its insect prey with precision and stealth. In a world of muted tones, the Bee-Eater is a riot of colour, a dazzling embodiment of the beauty and wonder that awaits in the secret realms of the natural world.
Advertisement
Hear the European Bee-Eater, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
