Listen to the European bee-eater
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the European bee-eater
The European bee-eater is a bird in the family Meropidae (order Coraciiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 47 cm and weigh around 6 g.
What does the European bee-eater sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a bird species in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It has the largest range of any bee-eater species, breeding in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African population, the species is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa. This species occurs as a spring overshoot north of its usual range, with occasional breeding in northern Europe.
Related birds in the genus Merops
Frequently asked questions
What does an European bee-eater sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the European bee-eater on this page, including its song. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the European bee-eater endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the European bee-eater as “least concern”.
What family does the European bee-eater belong to?
The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) belongs to the family Meropidae in the order Coraciiformes.
Sources & credits
- Bijeneter - SoundCloud - Beeld en Geluid by Beeld en Geluid – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Leuk, Leuk, Wallis, Switzerland by Pascal Christe – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q170718 – CC0
- Wikipedia: European bee-eater – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Петро Катеринич – CC BY 4.0