Species names in all available languages
| Language | Common name |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Europese Byvreter |
| Albanian | Gargulli |
| Arabic | وروار أوروبي |
| Armenian | Ոսկեգույն մեղվակեր |
| Asturian | Abeyarucu europeu |
| Azerbaijani | Qızılı qızlarquşu |
| Basque | Erle-txoria |
| Bulgarian | Обикновен пчелояд |
| Catalan | abellerol comú |
| Chinese (SIM) | 黄喉蜂虎 |
| Croatian | pčelarica |
| Czech | vlha pestrá |
| Danish | Biæder |
| Dutch | Bijeneter |
| English | European Bee-eater |
| English (Kenya) | Eurasian Bee-eater |
| English (United States) | European Bee-eater |
| Faroese | Býflugubítur |
| Finnish | mehiläissyöjä |
| French | Guêpier d'Europe |
| French (France) | Guêpier d'Europe |
| Galician | Abellaruco europeo |
| German | Bienenfresser |
| Greek | (Ευρωπαϊκός) Μελισσοφάγος |
| Hebrew | שרקרק מצוי |
| Hungarian | Gyurgyalag |
| Icelandic | Býsvelgur |
| Italian | Gruccione |
| Japanese | ヨーロッパハチクイ |
| Latvian | Bišu dzenis |
| Lithuanian | Bitininkas |
| Malayalam | യൂറോപ്യൻ വേലിത്തത്ത |
| Mongolian | Шарга зөгийч |
| Norwegian | bieter |
| Persian | زنبورخوار معمولی |
| Polish | żołna |
| Portuguese (Angola) | Abelharuco-europeu |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Abelharuco |
| Romanian | Prigorie |
| Russian | Золотистая щурка |
| Serbian | Pčelarica |
| Slovak | včelárik zlatý |
| Slovenian | Čebelar |
| Spanish | Abejaruco Europeo |
| Spanish (Spain) | Abejaruco europeo |
| Swedish | biätare |
| Turkish | Arıkuşu |
| Ukrainian | Бджолоїдка звичайна |
Revision Notes
Hans-Valentin Bastian and Anita Bastian revised the account. JoAnn Hackos, Linda A. Hensley, Robin K. Murie, and Daphne R. Walmer copy edited the draft. Leo Gilman generated the tables and appendices. August Davidson-Onsgard curated the media. Eliza R. Wein generated the map.
Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758
PROTONYM:
Merops Apiaster
Linnaeus, 1758. Systema Naturæ per Regna Tria Naturæ, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata 1, p.117.
TYPE LOCALITY:
'Europa australi; Oriente.'
SOURCE:
Avibase, 2023
Definitions
- MEROPS
- apiaster
- Apiaster
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
UPPERCASE: current genus
Uppercase first letter: generic synonym
● and ● See: generic homonyms
lowercase: species and subspecies
●: early names, variants, misspellings
‡: extinct
†: type species
Gr.: ancient Greek
L.: Latin
<: derived from
syn: synonym of
/: separates historical and modern geographic names
ex: based on
TL: type locality
OD: original diagnosis (genus) or original description (species)
European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Scientific name definitions
Hans-Valentin Bastian and Anita Bastian
Version: 3.0 — Published March 29, 2024
Version: 3.0 — Published March 29, 2024
Tables and Appendices
Table 1
Wing length. All measurements in mm.
| Location | Season | Year | Sex* | n | Mean | SD | Range | Source |
| Eisenberg-Pfalz / Germany | Summer | 2014–2023 | M | 80 | 148.9 | 2.8 | 142.0–155.0 | Bastian and Bastian, unpublished |
| F | 74 | 144.2 | 3.6 | 137.0–155.5 | ||||
| Sachsen-Anhalt / Germany | Summer | 2016 | M | 59 | 149.5 | 144–157 | Costa et al. 2020 | |
| F | 54 | 144.5 | 138–150 | |||||
| Sachsen-Anhalt / Germany | Summer | 1994–2002 | M | 109 | 151.6 | 3.6 | 137–159 | Todte and Harz 2003 |
| F | 110 | 145.4 | 3.5 | 137–153 | ||||
| Camargue / South France | Summer | 1983–1987 | M | 116 | 152.5 | 3.3 | Lessells and Ovenden 1989 | |
| F | 135 | 147.5 | 3.3 | |||||
| Hungary | Summer | 1985–1990 | M | 33 | 151.2 | 2.2 | Gyovai 1993 | |
| F | 27 | 145.9 | 3.1 | |||||
| Transylvania / Romania | Summer | 1965–1966 | M | 20 | 152.0 | 134–158 | Kiss and Höhn 1980 | |
| F | 18 | 147.0 | 134–152 | |||||
| Portugal | Summer | 2016 | M | 34 | 149.4 | 143–154 | Costa et al. 2020 | |
| F | 23 | 143.0 | 138–147 | |||||
| Almeria, Jaén / Spain | Summer | 2000 | M/F | 38 | 144.9 | 3.6 | 135.4–149.5 | Valera 2009 |
| Morocco—April/May | Spring | 2005 | M/F | 12 | 147.3 | 2.4 | Maggini and Bairlein 2011 | |
| Morocco | Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 8 | 147.7 | 3.9 | 140–155 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Morocco | Spring | 1963–1966 | M/F | 139–154 | Ash 1969 | |||
| Balearic Islands / Spain | Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 495 | 149.0 | 4.3 | 136–159 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Columbretes / Spain | Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 22 | 149.1 | 3.8 | 144–156 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Catalonia / Spain | Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 131 | 147.9 | 4.1 | 139–159 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
- * - M = Male, F = Female
Table 2
Length of third primary. All measurements in mm.
| Location | Year | Sex* | n | Mean | SD | Range | Source |
| Eisenberg-Pfalz / Germany | 2014–2023 | M | 80 | 110.8 | 2.3 | 105–116 | Bastian and Bastian, unpublished |
| F | 74 | 107.5 | 3.2 | 100–118 | |||
| Portugal | 2016 | M | 34 | 108.5 | 100–114 | Costa et al. 2020 | |
| F | 23 | 105.4 | 99–116 | ||||
| Sachsen-Anhalt / Germany | 2016 | M | 59 | 111.5 | 100–117 | Costa et al. 2020 | |
| F | 54 | 107.5 | 103–113 | ||||
| Morocco—Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 8 | 107.8 | 4.6 | 99.0–114.0 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Balearic Islands / Spain—Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 495 | 109.5 | 3.5 | 98.0–120.0 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Columbretes / Spain | 1992–2007 | M/F | 22 | 110.4 | 3.1 | 105.5–117.5 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Catalonia / Spain | 1992–2007 | M/F | 131 | 109.0 | 4.9 | 97.0–119.0 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
- * - M = Male, F = Female
Table 3
Bill length. All measurements are in mm.
| Location | Year | Sex* | n | Mean | SD | Range | Source |
| Eisenberg-Pfalz / Germany | 2014–2023 | M | 80 | 32.6 | 2.8 | 28.0–41.0 | Bastian and Bastian, unpublished |
| F | 74 | 31.9 | 2.6 | 27.0–39.6 | |||
| Sachsen-Anhalt / Germany | 2016 | M | 59 | 33.1 | 30.0–35.0 | Costa et al. 2020 | |
| F | 54 | 31.7 | 29.0–35.0 | ||||
| Hungary | 1985–1990 | M | 33 | 33.9 | 0.9 | Gyovai 1993 | |
| F | 27 | 33.1 | 1.2 | ||||
| Transylvania / Romania | 1965–1966 | M | 20 | 33 | 28–44 | Kiss and Höhn 1980 | |
| F | 18 | 32 | 28–37 | ||||
| Sicily / Italy (20 April) | 1997–2001 | M | 36 | 45.3 | 3.9 | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | |
| F | 10 | 43.0 | 3.4 | ||||
| Sicily / Italy (20 May) | 1997–2001 | M | 39 | 30.5 | 2.6 | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | |
| F | 12 | 28.8 | 1.8 | ||||
| Sicily / Italy (20 June) | 1997–2001 | M | 18 | 41.5 | 2.1 | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | |
| F | 23 | 40.0 | 1.7 | ||||
| Portugal | 2016 | M | 34 | 31.7 | Costa et al. 2020 | ||
| F | 23 | 30.6 | |||||
| Almería, Jaén / Spain | 2000 | M/F | 39 | 40.1 | 2.7 | 33.7–44.5 | Valera 2009 |
- * - M = Male, F = Female
Table 4
Mass of birds during the breeding season and migration. Mass given in g. NA denotes values that are unavailable.
| Mass of birds during the breeding season | |||||||
| Location | Year | Sex* | n | Mean | SD | Range | Source |
| Eisenberg-Pfalz / Germany | 2014–2023 | M | 80 | 51.9 | 2.7 | 42.0–59.0 | Bastian and Bastian, unpublished |
| F | 74 | 49.9 | 2.5 | 44.5–54.5 | |||
| Camargue / South France | 1983–1987 | M | 186 | 56.5 | 2.9 | Lessells and Ovenden 1989 | |
| F | 196 | 56.7 | 5.7 | ||||
| Hungary | 1985–1990 | M | 11 | 56.7 | 3.0 | Gyovai 1993 | |
| F | 9 | 53.1 | 1.8 | ||||
| Transylvania / Romania | 1965–1966 | M | 11 | 54.4 | NA | 50.2–59.8 | Kiss and Höhn 1980 |
| F | 13 | 52.3 | NA | 42.3–67.5 | |||
| Sicily / Italy (20 April) | 1997–2001 | M | 23 | 54.0 | 3.7 | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | |
| F | 17 | 54.1 | 3.1 | ||||
| Sicily / Italy (20 May) | 1997–2001 | M | 38 | 57.7 | 4.6 | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | |
| F | 12 | 63.6 | 5.4 | ||||
| Sicily / Italy (20 June) | 1997–2001 | M | 18 | 51.4 | 2.0 | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | |
| F | 23 | 48.4 | 1.8 | ||||
| Almería, Jaén / Spain | 2000 | M/F | 32 | 52.4 | 3.7 | Valera 2009 | |
| Mass of birds during migration | |||||||
| Location | Year | Sex* | n | Mean | SD | Range | Source |
| Morocco—April/May | 2005 | M/F | 12 | 47.8 | 5.4 | Maggini and Bairlein 2011 | |
| Morocco—Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 8 | 55.8 | 3.2 | 49.5–60.5 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Morocco—Spring | 1963–1966 | M/F | 46 | 48.7 | NA | 36.5–60.0 | Ash 1969 |
| Balearic Islands / Spain—Spring | 1992–2007 | M/F | 495 | 55.6 | 5.0 | 35.7–66.6 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Columbretes / Spain | 1992–2007 | M/F | 22 | 46.2 | 4.0 | 40.3–55.0 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
| Catalonia / Spain | 1992–2007 | M/F | 131 | 54.2 | 4.7 | 35.0–66.4 | Barriocanal and Robson 2011 |
- * - M = Male, F = Female
Table 5
Migration status and distribution of Meropidae species*.
| Species | Breeding Distribution | Nonbreeding Areas |
| Species with Migration | ||
| Merops apiaster | Europe, Middle East, northwestern Africa; locally in southern Africa | Tropical Africa |
| Merops persicus | Northwestern Africa, Egypt, Middle East to Kazakhstan, western India | Tropical Africa |
| Merops albicollis | Western to eastern Africa | Tropical western and central Africa |
| Merops nubicus | Western to eastern Africa | South of breeding areas |
| Merops nubicoides | Southern Africa | Local migrations |
| Merops philippinus | India and Sri Lanka to southern China, southeastern Asia | Thailand and Indonesia |
| Merops ornatus | Australia | Northern Australia, New Guinea, southern Indonesia to Solomon Islands |
| Species without Migration | ||
| Africa | ||
| Merops breweri | Western and central Africa | |
| Merops muelleri | Western to eastern Africa | |
| Merops mentalis | Western Africa | |
| Merops gularis | Western to central Africa | |
| Merops hirundineus | Western Africa, eastern to southern Africa | |
| Merops pusillus | Western to eastern and southern Africa | |
| Merops variegatus (+ Merops lafresnayii1) | Central to southern Africa | |
| Merops oreobates | Eastern Africa | |
| Merops bulocki | Western to eastern Africa | |
| Merops bullockoides | Southern Africa | |
| Merops revoilii | Eastern Africa | |
| Merops boehmi | Eastern Africa | |
| Merops superciliosus | Eastern Africa, Madagascar | |
| Merops malimbicus | Western and central Africa | |
| Asia | ||
| Merops leschenaulti | Southeastern Asia | |
| Merops orientalis (+ Merops viridissimus2, Merops cyanophris3) | Western to eastern Africa, Saudi Arabia to southeastern Asia | |
| Merops viridis | Southeastern Asia | |
| Merops americanus | Philippines | |
| Meropogon forsteni | Sulawesi | |
| Nyctyornis athertoni | Southeastern Asia | |
| Nyctyornis amictus | Eastern Asia | |
- * - All data from Wink and Carneiro de Melo Moura 2021
- 1 - Breeds in eastern Africa; separated from Merops variegatus as a distinct species by del Hoyo 2020
- 2 - Breeds in Africa, separated from Merops orientalis as a distinct species by del Hoyo 2020
- 3 - Breeds in southern Israel and the Arabian Peninsula; separated from Merops orientalis as a distinct species by del Hoyo 2020
Table 6
Diet of European Bee-eater from different locations and studies. Values given as total number of prey items counted, or as a percent of its total diet.
| Country | Method | Age | Source | Total Items | Hymeno-ptera | Hymenoptera Families | Coleop-tera | Odonata | Diptera | Lepidop-tera | Heterop-tera | Orthop-tera | Other Insects | Aran-eae | Gastro-poda | Grit | |||
| Honey-bees | Bumble-bees | Wasps | Other Hymenoptera | ||||||||||||||||
| Algeria | pellet | ad | Aissaoui-Marniche et al. 2007, Marniche 2011 | 1458 | 1225 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 151 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 50 | 6 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Algeria | pellet | ad | Aissaoui-Marniche et al. 2007, Marniche 2011 | 595 | 548 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | 10 | -- | 25 | 1 | 6 | -- | 2 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| Algeria | pellet | ad | Aissaoui-Marniche et al. 2007, Marniche 2011 | 443 | 202 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 69 | 93 | 20 | -- | 56 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Algeria | pellet | ad | Aissaoui-Marniche et al. 2007, Marniche 2011 | 830 | 676 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 99 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 11 | -- | -- |
| Algeria | pellet | ad | Aissaoui-Marniche et al. 2007, Marniche 2011 | 614 | 437 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 67 | -- | 4 | 3 | 77 | 11 | 11 | 4 | -- | -- |
| Algeria | pellet | ad | Aissaoui-Marniche et al. 2007, Marniche 2011 | 604 | 209 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 129 | 63 | 20 | 13 | 112 | 46 | 8 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| Austria | pellet | ad | Ursprung 1979 | 1560 | 1292 | 197 | 863 | 212 | 20 | 101 | 103 | 25 | 6 | 33 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Austria | collecting | juv | Sackl 1981 | 191 | 147 | 117 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 22 | -- | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Czech Republic | collecting | ad | Maran 1958 | 120 | 98 | 42 | 38 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Czech Republic | pellet | juv | Hachler 1958 | 100 | 30 | 15 | -- | 15 | -- | 2 | 66 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Denmark | pellet | ad | Larsen 1949 | 660 | 475 | 290 | 106 | 26 | 53 | 165 | 7 | -- | 7 | -- | -- | 7 | -- | -- | -- |
| Denmark | observe / photo | juv | Tofft and Bastian 2021 | 3618 | 1504 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 450 | 927 | -- | 737 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| France | observe / photo | juv | Biber 1971 | 642 | 200 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 322 | 98 | 21 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| France | pellet | ad | Biber 1971 | 1308 | 549 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 549 | 105 | 105 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| France | pellet | ad | Biber 1971 | 160 | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 86 | 3 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| France | pellet | ad | Biber 1971 | 399 | 227 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 56 | 116 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| France | unknown | ad | Bertrand 1991 | 100 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 18 | 24 | 6 | -- | -- | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| France | pellet | ad | Kerbiriou 1994 | 103 | 78 | 56 | 20 | 2 | -- | 11 | 9 | -- | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| France | collecting | juv | Moronvalle 1998 | 756 | 756 | 84 | 474 | 73 | 125 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 332 | 186 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 97 | 31 | 4 | -- | 8 | 2 | 2 | -- | 1 | 1 |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 23 | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 95 | 57 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 15 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 132 | 72 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 29 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | -- |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 79 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 5 | 2 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 259 | 161 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 71 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 8 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 167 | 100 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 52 | 7 | -- | 6 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Georgia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 96 | 68 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 17 | 8 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Hoffrichter and Westermann 1969 | 930 | 915 | 425 | 110 | 376 | 4 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Helbig 1982 | 855 | 711 | 377 | 239 | 68 | 27 | 77 | 4 | 2 | 3 | -- | -- | 58 | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Berndt and Borkenhagen 1989 | 1697 | 1396 | 164 | 910 | 235 | 87 | 218 | 46 | 25 | 10 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | observe / photo | juv | Klaus et al. 2013 | 115 | 92 | 15 | 63 | 14 | -- | -- | 7 | -- | 15 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | ad | Arbeiter et al. 2014 | 1146 | 974 | 455 | 376 | 45 | 98 | 63 | 81 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 28 | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | ad | Arbeiter et al. 2014 | 872 | 755 | 189 | 324 | 130 | 112 | 11 | 80 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 26 | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Arbeiter et al. 2014 | 679 | 578 | 148 | 409 | 21 | -- | 41 | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 49 | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Arbeiter et al. 2014 | 344 | 252 | 23 | 188 | 22 | 19 | 44 | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 23 | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | observe / photo | juv | Arbeiter et al. 2014 | 287 | 165 | 25 | 103 | 11 | 26 | 6 | 62 | -- | 26 | -- | -- | 28 | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | observe / photo | juv | Arbeiter et al. 2014 | 433 | 197 | -- | 103 | -- | 94 | 24 | 146 | -- | 42 | -- | -- | 24 | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Ullmann et al. 2017 | 3276 | 3053 | 914 | 1859 | 280 | -- | 200 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Ullmann et al. 2017 | 3654 | 3360 | 997 | 1767 | 596 | -- | 237 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | pellet | juv | Ullmann et al. 2017 | 3501 | 3291 | 1876 | 1189 | 226 | -- | 172 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Germany | observe / photo | juv | Krüger 2018 | 1205 | 802 | 314 | 460 | 9 | 19 | 62 | 78 | 104 | 155 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Hungary | neck-collar | juv | Korodi and Libus 1968 | 1160 | 768 | 334 | 385 | 49 | -- | 34 | 159 | 44 | 64 | 66 | 13 | 13 | -- | -- | -- |
| Hungary | pellet | ad | Fintha 1968 | 87 | 62 | 4 | 17 | 33 | 8 | 18 | 3 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Hungary | pellet | ad | Gyovai 1993 | 241 | 189 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Hungary | pellet | ad | Rékási and Haraszthy 2005 | 91 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | -- | 35 | 4 | 7 | -- | 30 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Hungary | observe / photo | juv | Fuisz 2013 | 571 | 280 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 29 | 74 | 57 | 40 | 11 | 57 | 23 | -- | -- | -- |
| Hungary | observe / photo | juv | Fuisz 2013 | 66 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Hungary | observe / photo | juv | Fuisz 2013 | 168 | 59 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 49 | 10 | 13 | -- | 3 | 8 | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Inglisa et al 1993 | 594 | 415 | 298 | 77 | 8 | 32 | 150 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Inglisa et al 1993 | 323 | 212 | 153 | 39 | 8 | 12 | 55 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 31 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Grenci et al. 1997 | 1295 | 1055 | 578 | 99 | 102 | 276 | 200 | 8 | -- | -- | 7 | 8 | 17 | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Grenci et al. 1997 | 353 | 294 | 104 | 184 | 6 | -- | 34 | 2 | -- | -- | 18 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 118 | 79 | 57 | 12 | 10 | -- | 22 | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 14 | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | observe / photo | juv | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 345 | 236 | 149 | 66 | -- | 21 | -- | 72 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 37 | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 238 | 228 | 154 | 11 | 63 | -- | 6 | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 208 | 168 | 115 | 28 | 25 | -- | 27 | 1 | -- | 1 | 3 | -- | 8 | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 212 | 195 | 177 | 17 | 1 | -- | 15 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 202 | 140 | 114 | 17 | 9 | -- | 38 | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 1 | 19 | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 159 | 132 | 92 | 37 | 3 | -- | 15 | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 2 | 7 | -- | -- | -- |
| Italy | pellet | ad | Massa and Rizzo 2002 | 156 | 147 | 135 | 3 | 9 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | observe / photo | juv | Werkgroep Bijeneters Nederland 2011 | 373 | 286 | 28 | 127 | 131 | -- | 1 | 27 | 4 | 5 | -- | -- | 50 | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | observe / photo | juv | Dijkstra and Folkerts 2012 | 324 | 286 | 28 | 127 | 131 | -- | 1 | 27 | 4 | 5 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | juv/ad | Dijkstra and Folkerts 2012 | 3662 | 3175 | 622 | 1540 | 907 | 106 | 262 | 54 | 168 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | juv/ad | Dijkstra and Folkerts 2012 | 4007 | 3547 | 545 | 1706 | 1107 | 189 | 280 | 54 | 122 | -- | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | ad | Werkgroep Bijeneters Nederland 2014 | 5283 | 3735 | 1635 | 1621 | 194 | 285 | 884 | 332 | 330 | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | juv | Werkgroep Bijeneters Nederland 2015 | 2343 | 1918 | 218 | 1294 | 376 | 30 | 292 | 60 | 64 | 2 | 7 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | ad | Koster and Folkerts 2019 | 318 | 309 | 80 | 60 | 119 | 50 | 4 | 4 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | juv | Koster and Folkerts 2019 | 3505 | 2852 | 328 | 1911 | 395 | 218 | 327 | 103 | 217 | -- | 2 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | juv | Koster and Folkerts 2019 | 2475 | 1903 | 287 | 952 | 566 | 98 | 233 | 92 | 240 | -- | -- | 7 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | pellet | ad | Koster and Folkerts 2021 | 2576 | 2093 | 200 | 1760 | 64 | 69 | 246 | 9 | 228 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Oman | pellet | ad | Kossenko and Fry 1998 | 4318 | 2334 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 205 | 1 | 5 | 57 | 22 | 1694 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 649 | 502 | 457 | 9 | 7 | 29 | 119 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 1311 | 699 | 598 | 20 | 29 | 52 | 422 | 30 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 123 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 615 | 361 | 228 | 9 | 30 | 94 | 173 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 44 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 473 | 357 | 267 | 30 | 35 | 25 | 46 | 10 | 17 | 5 | -- | 2 | 36 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 471 | 358 | 230 | 27 | 53 | 48 | 75 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 737 | 565 | 443 | 23 | 67 | 32 | 110 | 3 | 30 | 11 | -- | 4 | 14 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 289 | 207 | 64 | 13 | 26 | 104 | 38 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 10 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa 1991 | 331 | 227 | 165 | 3 | 37 | 22 | 87 | -- | 5 | 2 | -- | 2 | 8 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | pellet | ad | Costa et al. 2016 | 100 | 72 | 34 | -- | 13 | 25 | 18 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | observe / photo | juv | Lourenco 2018 | 68 | 31 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 7 | -- | 3 | 10 | -- | -- | -- |
| Romania | stomach content | ad | Kiss and Höhn 1970, Kiss and Höhn 1980 | 615 | 512 | 360 | 54 | -- | 98 | 56 | 11 | 29 | 3 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 2 | -- |
| Romania | stomach content | ad | Kiss and Rekasi 1995 | 246 | 132 | 20 | 9 | 95 | 8 | 83 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 1 | -- | 5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Russia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 132 | 67 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 47 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Russia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 22 | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Russia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 584 | 258 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 241 | 54 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Russia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 329 | 192 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 111 | 11 | 3 | -- | 9 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Russia | pellet | ad | Malovichko et al. 2006, Malovichko at al. 2007, Malovichko and Pushkin 2007 | 74 | 44 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 22 | 5 | 2 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Russland | pellet | juv | Chudnenko et al. 2013 | 190 | 167 | 21 | 103 | 44 | -- | -- | 19 | -- | 2 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Sardinia | pellet | ad | Galeotti and Inglisa 2001 | 15143 | 8586 | 4800 | -- | -- | 3786 | 5300 | 303 | -- | 303 | -- | 303 | 348 | -- | -- | -- |
| Slovakia | pellet | ad | Krištín 1994 | 420 | 276 | 188 | 68 | 9 | 11 | 124 | 5 | 5 | -- | 9 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Slovakia | collecting | juv | Krištín 1994 | 230 | 164 | 71 | 73 | 20 | -- | 7 | 8 | 22 | 10 | 17 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- |
| Slovakia | pellet | ad | Krištín 1994 | 92 | 71 | 40 | 25 | 6 | -- | 5 | -- | 10 | 2 | 3 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Slovakia | pellet | ad | Krištín 1994 | 228 | 142 | 66 | 61 | 15 | -- | 46 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 8 | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- |
| Slovakia | collecting | juv | Krištín 1994 | 808 | 614 | 273 | 319 | 22 | -- | 43 | 24 | 67 | 39 | 10 | 2 | 10 | -- | -- | -- |
| Slovakia | collecting | juv | Krištín 1994 | 388 | 257 | 140 | 38 | 5 | 74 | 121 | -- | -- | -- | 9 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Slovakia | pellet | juv | Krištín and Kaňuch 2005 | 401 | 321 | 216 | 52 | 43 | 10 | 59 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 9 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| South Africa | stomach content | ad | Kopij et al. 2000 | 99 | 77 | 75 | -- | -- | 2 | 9 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 |
| Spain | pellet | ad | Herrera and Ramírez 1974 | 1576 | 1139 | 988 | -- | 16 | 135 | 317 | 29 | 12 | 8 | 15 | 9 | -- | 47 | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | ad | Herrera and Ramírez 1974 | 328 | 146 | 141 | -- | 1 | 4 | 100 | 29 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 26 | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | ad | Herrera and Ramírez 1974 | 237 | 201 | 197 | -- | -- | 4 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 2 | -- | 7 | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | ad | Martinez 1984 | 1864 | 1527 | 1487 | -- | 19 | 21 | 258 | 9 | 57 | 6 | -- | -- | 7 | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | juv | Grupo de Investigacion en Biologia de la Conservacion 2007 | 1025 | 771 | 387 | -- | 18 | 366 | 210 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 21 | 3 | 6 | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | juv | Grupo de Investigacion en Biologia de la Conservacion 2007 | 660 | 510 | 361 | -- | 10 | 139 | 113 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | juv | Grupo de Investigacion en Biologia de la Conservacion 2007 | 570 | 402 | 255 | -- | 11 | 136 | 102 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 9 | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | juv | Grupo de Investigacion en Biologia de la Conservacion 2007 | 1204 | 900 | 682 | -- | 12 | 206 | 203 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 27 | 21 | 19 | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | pellet | juv | Grupo de Investigacion en Biologia de la Conservacion 2007 | 2348 | 1821 | 1411 | -- | 23 | 387 | 361 | 45 | 10 | 15 | 47 | 29 | 20 | -- | -- | -- |
| Switzerland | pellet | juv | Schelbert 1992 | 612 | 570 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 27 | 12 | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Tunisia | pellet | ad | Marniche 2007, Marniche 2011 | 2862 | 1873 | 1006 | 30 | 82 | 755 | 290 | 5 | 533 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 84 | 55 | -- | -- |
| Turkmenistan | pellet | juv/ad | Kossenko and Fry 1998 | 12927 | 8506 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2909 | 724 | 13 | 78 | 233 | 271 | 194 | -- | -- | -- |
| Ukraine | stomach content | ad | Jazenja 1966 | 576 | 301 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 109 | 120 | 23 | 2 | -- | 2 | 19 | -- | -- | -- |
| Ukraine | pellet | juv | Jazenja 1966 | 6761 | 3779 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2272 | 338 | 14 | 7 | 101 | 250 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Ukraine | collecting | juv | Jazenja 1966 | 717 | 461 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 232 | 1 | 11 | -- | -- | 1 | 11 | -- | -- | -- |
| Ukraine | observe / photo | juv | Pisots'ka and Redya 2019 | 1016 | 170 | 106 | 64 | -- | -- | 711 | 40 | -- | 80 | -- | 8 | 7 | -- | -- | -- |
| Uzbekistan | stomach content | ad | Ametov 2018 | 100 | 66 | 28 | -- | 19 | 19 | 7 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 11 | 13 | -- | -- | -- |
| Sum of Items: | 130,639 | 91,548 | 29,917 | 22,738 | 7,467 | 16,820 | 22,533 | 5,645 | 3,024 | 1,919 | 1,223 | 1,114 | 3,487 | 123 | 9 | 14 | |||
Table 7
Measures of breeding success by country.
| Country | Years | n Clutches | Mean Clutch Size | n Broods | Number Fledged | n Broods | Number Fledged | Source |
| Austria | 2005–2017 | 3 | Erdei 2017 | |||||
| Czech Republic | 1954 | 1 | 2 | Hachler 1958 | ||||
| France | ? | 57 | 5 | Fry 1984 | ||||
| France | 1983–1985 | 98 | 6 | Lessells 1990 | ||||
| France | 1983–1985 | 956 | 5.96 | 956 | 4.76 | Lessells 1990—without helper | ||
| France | 1983–1985 | 239 | 6.05 | 239 | 5.27 | Lessells 1990—with helper | ||
| Germany | 1975–1977 | 6 | 4.7 | Gehlhaar and Klebb 1979 | ||||
| Germany | 1983 | 3 | 3.7 | Brill 1983, Brill 1985 | ||||
| Germany | 1990–1996 | 10 | 4.6 | Rupp and Saumer 1996 | ||||
| Germany | 1994–1998 | 30 | 4.1 (1–7) | Todte et al. 1999 | ||||
| Germany | 2003–2013 | 277 | 3.7 (1.7–4.9) | Arbeiter et al. 2016 | ||||
| Germany | 2004–2006 | 25 | 4–5 | 25 | 2–5 | Pittocopitis 2007 | ||
| Germany | 2005 | 1 | 1–2 | May and Blomenkamp 2005 | ||||
| Germany | 2007 | 28 | 3–4 | 28 | 3–4 | Pittocopitis 2008 | ||
| Germany | 2015 | 1 | 3 | Harms and Ladendorf 2015 | ||||
| Germany | 2015 | 7 | 4 | Krüger and Bergmann 2015 | ||||
| Hungary | 1948–ca. 1955 | ? | 5-7 | ? | 3–4 | Tapfer 1957 | ||
| Hungary | 1958–1966 | 6 | 4.6 | Fintha 1968 | ||||
| Hungary | 1977 | 40 | 4–6 | Dyer and Demeter 1981 | ||||
| Hungary | ? | 41 | 6 | Glutz von Blotzheim and Bauer 1980 | ||||
| Hungary | ? | 5 | 4.6 | Korodi and Libus 1968 | ||||
| Moldova | ? | 21 | 5.5 | Glutz von Blotzheim and Bauer 1980 | ||||
| Poland | 2001–2012 | 14 | 4.57 | Sępioł et al. 2012 | ||||
| Russia | ? | 270 | 5.8 | Priklonskiy and Lavrovskiy 1974 | ||||
| Russia | ? | 9 | 3.5 | Belskij 1958 | ||||
| Slovakia | 1995–1998 | 124 | 4.9 | 124 | 4.1 | Hoi et al. 2002 | ||
| Slovakia | 1989/1990 | 55 | 4.2 (3–6) | Krištín 1992 | ||||
| South Africa | ? | 10 | 6 | Fry 1984 | ||||
| Spain | 2011–2014 | 23 | 5.7 | Wagner et al. 2019 | ||||
| Switzerland | 1991 | 2 | 1–2 and 4–5 | 2 | 2.5 |
Table 8
Population estimates for European Bee-eater by country. Countries with a '?' do not have information available.
| Country or Territory | Estimate | Source | Year(s)2 | Quality3 |
| Albania | 500–1,500 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2002–2012 | Medium |
| Armenia | 4,000–7,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2002–2012 | Good |
| Austria | 3,500–4,000 | Wendelin and Denner 2021 | 2019 | Good |
| Azerbaijan | 5,000–10,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 1996–2000 | Poor |
| Belarus | 200–400 | Bogdanovich et al. 2017 | 2017 | Good |
| Belgium1 | 1–4 | Jacob and Matgen 2000, Bastian et al. 2021 | 1933–20201 | Good |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 500–1,200 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2010–2014 | Poor |
| Bulgaria | 20,000–60,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2005–2012 | Medium |
| Croatia | 5,000–10,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2014 | Poor |
| Cyprus | 100–200 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2001–2013 | Poor |
| Czech Republic | 690–720 | Šťastný et al. 2017 | 2015 | Good |
| Denmark | 5–10 | Tofft and Bastian 2021 | 2011–2020 | Good |
| France | 15,000–30,000 | Issa and Muller 2015 | 2015 | Medium |
| Georgia | ? | ? | ? | |
| Germany | 5,000–5,500 | Bastian et al. 2021 | 2020 | Good |
| Greece | 4,000–5,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2008–2012 | Poor |
| Hungary | 29,000–32,000 | Hadarics and Zalai 2008, Gyurácz et al. 2013, Urbán et al. 2013 | 2014–2018 | Medium |
| Italy | 8,000–15,000 | Brichetti and Fracasso 2020 | 2019 | Medium |
| Kosovo | 100–150 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2009–2014 | Medium |
| Latvia1 | 0–10 | Hansen 2014, http://www.putni.lv/merapi.htm | 2003–20201 | Good |
| Lithuania | 30–40 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2008–2012 | Good |
| Luxembourg1 | 0–3 | Bastian et al. 2021 | 2001–20201 | Good |
| Moldova | 2,500–4,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2001–2012 | Medium |
| Montenegro | 350–400 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2002–2012 | Medium |
| Netherlands | 5–10 | Koster and Folkerts 2019, Bastian et al. 2021 | 2020 | Good |
| North Macedonia | 4,000–20,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2001–2012 | Poor |
| Poland | 130–210 | Chodkiewicz et al. 2015, Stachyra and Sępioł 2015, Zbyryt 2016 | 2008–2012 | Good |
| Portugal | 10,000–100,000 | Fry 1994 | 1989 | Medium |
| Romania | 15,000–20,000 | Unitatea de Suport pentru Integrare 2013 | 2012 | Medium |
| Russia | 225,000–410,000 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2008–2012 | Poor |
| Serbia | 5,600–7,400 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2008–2012 | Medium |
| Slovakia | 1,200–1,800 | https://www.karelsimecek.cz, Zemanova 2014 | -2012 | Medium |
| Slovenia | 100–150 | BirdLife International 2015 | 2002–2017 | Medium |
| Spain | 200,000–300,000 | Bastian and Aymi 2020, Gordo et al. 2021 | 2020 | Good |
| Switzerland | 199 | Müller 2021 | 2020 | Good |
| Türkiye | 10,000–100,000 | Fry 1994 | 1992–1993 | Low |
| United Kingdom (including Channel Islands)1 | 0–3 | Pitches 2015, Bastian et al. 2021 | 1955–20201 | Good |
| Ukraine | 25,000–45,000 | Fry 1994 | ca. 2015 | Medium |
| Total European population, including Russia | 599,710–1,191,909 | |||
| Afghanistan | ? | |||
| China | ? | |||
| India | ? | |||
| Kasachstan | ? | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | ? | |||
| Mongolia | ? | |||
| Pakistan | ? | |||
| Tajikistan | ? | |||
| Uzbekistan | ? | |||
| Arabian Peninsula, including Iraq, northern Syria, Jordan | 5,000 | Symes et al. 2015 | ? | |
| Iran | ? | |||
| Israel | 2,000–3,000 | Dolev and Perevolotsky 2004 | ? | |
| Oman | 4,000 | Fry 2001 | ? | |
| Algeria | ? | |||
| Libya | ? | |||
| Morocco | ? | |||
| Tunisia | ? | |||
| Namibia | ? | |||
| South Africa | ca. 10,000 | Lebret 2007 | ? | |
| Total Global Population | 620,710–1,213,909 | |||
- 1 - The species does not breed every year in this country.
- 2 - Year(s) for which population estimate is made and applicable.
- 3 - For countries where population estimate was taken from BirdLife International 2015, the quality estimate was also obtained from this source. Otherwise, quality was labeled as follows: "Good" if countries had populations surveyed by comprehensive censuses or other nationwide studies; "Medium" if populations were extrapolated/estimated from samples; "low" and "Poor" quality scores are defined by BirdLife International 2015. There is insufficient information for non-European countries to assess data quality.
