The northern carmine bee-eater is a brightly-coloured bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It is found across northern tropical Africa, from Senegal eastwards to Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the southern carmine bee-eater which has a carmine coloured throat rather than the blue throat of the northern species.
Region
Northern tropical Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from Senegal and Gambia east through the Sahel to Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and into Somalia and northern Kenya, with concentrations along major rivers such as the Niger and Nile. It favors open savannas, floodplains, and river valleys with exposed sandy banks for nesting. The species avoids dense forest and prefers mosaic landscapes with scattered trees or perches. Non-breeding movements can extend more widely within eastern and central Africa.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This vividly colored bee-eater nests colonially in burrows excavated into vertical riverbanks, sometimes forming colonies of thousands of holes. It often follows bushfires, livestock, or even large birds to catch insects flushed from the grass. Before swallowing bees and wasps, it removes the stinger by rubbing the insect against a perch. It differs from the southern carmine bee-eater by its blue throat and slightly different range.
Near Watamu, Kenya
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
agile flier with swift, direct flight and quick wingbeats, interspersed with short glides
Social Behavior
Highly gregarious, forming large flocks for foraging and communal roosts. Nests colonially in burrows tunneled into vertical sandbanks, where pairs breed and raise young. Often uses exposed perches and hunts cooperatively around fires or livestock.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A lively series of ringing, rolling calls, often rendered as sharp 'kree' and chattering 'prree' notes. Flocks are vocal in flight and around colonies, producing a constant, musical twittering.
