Species guide
Little Bee-eater: how to recognise it
A bird of Africa. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © kratzra · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Merops pusillus
- Family
- Bee-eaters
- Size
- About 15–17 cm
- Habitat
- Open savanna and grassland near water
- Found in
- Africa
The key marks
A tiny green bee-eater with a yellow throat, a black breast band and a rufous face.
Voice
A sharp, high “tsee-tsee”.
Good to know
It darts from a low perch to snatch bees and wasps and removes the sting by beating them on a branch.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in open savanna and grassland near water. It is especially common in Tanzania. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.