Evidence found
17,249 records across 62 countries and territories, 1835–2026.
Merops apiaster · GBIF taxon key 2475443
Where has the European Bee-eater been recorded?
Merops apiaster occurrence evidence comes from 17,249 records in 62 countries and territories, from 1835 to 2026. Most records come from Sweden.
- 17,249 records
- 62 places
- 103 years recorded
- Aves class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-23. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: May.
6 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: May. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
18352026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where European Bee-eater has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for European Bee-eater. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 7,876 | |
| Spain | 5,545 | |
| Belgium | 1,645 | |
| Germany | 949 | |
| Uganda | 136 | |
| Ukraine | 133 | |
| Kenya | 123 | |
| Austria | 93 | |
| Russia | 82 | |
| South Africa | 72 | |
| Italy | 64 | |
| Kuwait | 63 | |
| Greece | 59 | |
| Romania | 50 | |
| France | 42 | |
| Israel | 30 | |
| Rwanda | 25 | |
| Portugal | 23 | |
| Türkiye | 23 | |
| Bulgaria | 22 | |
| Botswana | 14 | |
| Senegal | 14 | |
| Morocco | 12 | |
| United Kingdom | 11 | |
| Serbia | 10 | |
| Iraq | 9 | |
| Mozambique | 9 | |
| Namibia | 9 | |
| Zimbabwe | 9 | |
| Croatia | 8 | |
| Iran | 8 | |
| Tanzania | 8 | |
| Andorra | 7 | |
| Jordan | 7 | |
| Afghanistan | 6 | |
| Angola | 5 | |
| Luxembourg | 4 | |
| Malawi | 4 | |
| Armenia | 3 | |
| Czechia | 3 |
Showing the top 40 of 62 places.
Related animals
Others in the family Meropidae.
Little Bee-eater
602 records
Green Bee-eater
601 records
White-throated Bee-eater
597 records
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
482 records
Rainbow Bee-eater
444 records
Blue-cheeked
347 records
Madagascar Bee-eater
333 records
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
241 records
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.