CreatureData

Blue-breasted bee-eater

Merops variegatus Vieillot, 1817

LCLeast Concernbirds

The blue-breasted bee-eater (Merops variegatus) is a species in the family Meropidae, order Coraciiformes. Recorded adults weigh 21 g to 22.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Blue-breasted bee-eater (Merops variegatus)
Photo: Fabrice Stoger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the blue-breasted bee-eater

Weight
21 g – 22.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.4 – 3src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the blue-breasted bee-eater live?

Not recorded

What is the blue-breasted bee-eater?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The blue-breasted bee-eater (Merops variegatus) is a central African species of bird. It is a member of the family Meropidae. Meropids are all visually similar and have a diet specialized in Hymenopterans.

From the Wikipedia article “Blue-breasted bee-eater” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue-breasted_bee-eater&oldid=1353212161), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the blue-breasted bee-eater endangered?

The blue-breasted bee-eater is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the blue-breasted bee-eater classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCoraciiformes
  5. familyMeropidae
  6. genusMerops
  7. SpeciesMerops variegatus Vieillot, 1817

Synonyms Melittophagus variegatus

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • BBBEEnglish
  • وروار أزرق الصدرArabic
  • Abellerol pitblauCatalan
  • abellerol de pit blauCatalan
  • vlha modroprsáCzech
  • gwenynysor bronwinau'r GogleddWelsh
  • Blåkravet BiæderDanish
  • BlaubrustspintGerman
  • blubrusta abelmanĝuloEsperanto
  • Abejaruco PechiazulSpanish
  • Abejaruco variegadoSpanish
  • soo-mesilasenäppEstonian
  • savannimehiläissyöjäFinnish
  • Guêpier à collier bleuFrench
  • plavoprsa pčelaricaCroatian
  • kékmellű gyurgyalagHungarian
  • Gruccione pettobluItalian
  • ルリムネハチクイJapanese
  • mėlynkrūtis bitininkasLithuanian
  • BlauwborstbijeneterDutch
  • blåbrystbieterNorwegian
  • żołna niebieskopierśnaPolish
  • abelharuco-de-colar-azulPortuguese
  • abelharuco-de-peito-azulPortuguese
  • Синегрудая щуркаRussian
  • včelárik modroprsýSlovak
  • močvirski čebelarSlovenian
  • Plavogruda pčelaricaSerbian
  • blåkragad biätareSwedish
  • Mavi Göğüslü ArıkuşuTurkish
  • бджолоїдка синьоволаUkrainian
  • 蓝胸蜂虎Chinese
  • 藍胸蜂虎Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the blue-breasted bee-eater

Other species in the same genus Merops.

CompareBlue-breasted bee-eater vs European bee-eaterBlue-breasted bee-eater vs Asian green bee-eaterBlue-breasted bee-eater vs Blue-cheeked bee-eaterBlue-breasted bee-eater vs Blue-tailed bee-eater

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the blue-breasted bee-eater?

An adult blue-breasted bee-eater weighs 21 g – 22.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the blue-breasted bee-eater endangered?

The blue-breasted bee-eater is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the blue-breasted bee-eater?

The blue-breasted bee-eater (Merops variegatus) belongs to the family Meropidae in the order Coraciiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Blue-breasted bee-eater (Merops variegatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/blue-breasted-bee-eater

MLA

“Blue-breasted bee-eater (Merops variegatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/blue-breasted-bee-eater.

BibTeX
@misc{blue_breasted_bee_eater_2026,
  title = {Blue-breasted bee-eater (Merops variegatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/blue-breasted-bee-eater},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}