European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

Bee-eaters (Meropidae) · Coraciiformes (Coraciiformes)

eBird · Birds of the World

Practice

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Reviewed

Often mixed up with

In quizzes, players most often confuse European Bee-eater with these birds— either this species was picked by mistake, or the other way around.

Species	Mix-ups
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus How to tell them apart	11
European Roller Coracias garrulus How to tell them apart	11
Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis How to tell them apart	2
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis How to tell them apart	1
Common Eider Somateria mollissima How to tell them apart	1

Family

The bee-eaters are a group of birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty-one species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers.

Order

The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base), though in many kingfishers one of these is missing. In the past, Coraciiformes encompassed all anisodactyl (including syndactyl) members of the Cavitaves.

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