European bee-eater

Merops apiaster

The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a bird found in Spain, South Africa, France, Portugal and Israel. Open land across southern Europe and Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Merops apiaster
Region	Europe
Found in	Spain, South Africa, France, Portugal and Israel

🏡 Where the European bee-eater lives

Open land across southern Europe and Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It is bright gold, blue and chestnut, and catches bees mid-air.

Hear the European bee-eater

Recorded by Stephan Risch (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC810191. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the European bee-eater

Where does the European bee-eater live?

The European bee-eater lives in Spain, South Africa, France, Portugal and Israel. Open land across southern Europe and Africa.

What does the European bee-eater eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the European bee-eater endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Europe

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.