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 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
Little Bee-eater
Merops pusillus
White-fronted Bee-eater
Merops bullockoides
European Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Halcyon albiventris
Malachite Kingfisher
Corythornis cristatus
Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis
European Roller
Coracias garrulus
Striped Kingfisher
Halcyon chelicuti
Half-collared Kingfisher
Alcedo semitorquata
Giant Kingfisher
Megaceryle maxima
Lilac-breasted Roller
Coracias caudatus
African Pygmy-Kingfisher
Ispidina picta
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park — 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