---
title: "Swallow-tailed Bee-eater"
description: "Merops hirundineus — Uccelli. The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a species of bee-eater native to sub-Saharan Africa."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/swallow-tailed-bee-eater
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

> Merops hirundineus — Uccelli. The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a species of bee-eater native to sub-Saharan Africa.

- Scientific name: *Merops hirundineus*
- Category: `birds` (Uccelli)
- Habitats: `savanna` (Savana)
- iNaturalist observations: 1663
- Wikidata: [Q576802](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q576802)
- iNaturalist taxon: [2203](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/2203)

## Names

- en: Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
- de: Schwalbenschwanzspint
- es: Abejaruco golondrina
- fr: Guêpier à queue d'aronde
- nl: Zwaluwstaartbijeneter
- pt: Abelharuco-andorinha
- pl: Żołna widłosterna

## Countries with the most observations

NA (473), ZA (444), BW (259), GM (115), ZW (66), MW (64), UG (60), ZM (42), GH (18), SN (15), MZ (14), CF (11)

## Summary

The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a species of bee-eater native to sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds predominantly on insects, especially bees and their relatives, which are caught in flight from an open perch. Its vivid colors and forked tail are distinctive.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow-tailed_bee-eater

## Photo

![Swallow-tailed Bee-eater](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/swallow-tailed-bee-eater/medium.jpg)

Photo: Irene · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/367939196

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/swallow-tailed-bee-eater?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).