Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Merops persicus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCoraciiformes (Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies)
- FamilyMeropidae (Bee-eaters)
- GenusMerops (Typical Bee-eaters)
- SpeciesMerops persicus (Blue-cheeked Bee-eater)
The blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus) is a species of bee-eater that breeds in Northern Africa and the Middle East from eastern Turkey to Kazakhstan and India. It is generally strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, although some populations are resident year-round in the Sahel. This species occurs as a rare vagrant north of its breeding range, with most vagrants occurring in Italy and Greece. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Samburu National Reserve
Little Bee-eater
Merops pusillus
Whitethroated Bee-eater
Merops albicollis
Somali Bee-eater
Merops revoilii
European Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
Merops oreobates
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
Merops nubicus
Lilac-breasted Roller
Coracias caudatus
Gray-headed Kingfisher
Halcyon leucocephala
Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis
Rufous-crowned Roller
Coracias naevius
European Roller
Coracias garrulus
Striped Kingfisher
Halcyon chelicuti
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater at Samburu National Reserve — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there