Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Swallow-tailed Bee-eater at stays in or beside Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Kruger National Park, Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, Mapungubwe National Park, Mokala National Park and Augrabies Falls National Park. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is most recorded in Northern Cape (79% of records), Limpopo (12% of records), based on 468 iNaturalist observations. 25 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Swallow-tailed Bee-eater on site or nearby.

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May; Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Mapungubwe National Park: May-Sep, dry season; Mokala National Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds in savannah woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. It is partially migratory, moving in response to rainfall patterns.