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Bee-eaters of Malaysia

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Family: Meropidae (Bee-eaters)

Total genus in Malaysia: 2
Total species recorded in Malaysia: 6
* There are a total of 3 genera and 31 species in the world *

The eBird Taxonomy (Clements Checklist) for the Bee-eater family (Meropidae) in Malaysia recognizes 2 genera and 4 regularly occurring species, with 1 additional species occasionally recorded as a rare migrant / vagrant and 1 species is very rare or marginal resident predominantly in the states bordering Thailand.

Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus (resident / migrant)
Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis (resident / migrant)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus (migrant)
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti (resident)
Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis (vagrant)
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus (vagrant)

The Bee-eater family (Meropidae) is a small, distinct group of colorful birds within the order Coraciiformes. Based on current global taxonomic authorities, the total count for the Bee-eater family is 3 genera consisting of 31 species. 

Merops: This is the largest and most species-rich genus, containing the majority of the world's bee-eaters (about 28 species). This includes well-known species like the European Bee-eater and the Blue-tailed Bee-eater found in Malaysia. 

Nyctyornis: This genus contains two species of large, shaggy-plumed bee-eaters, the Red-bearded Bee-eater and the Blue-bearded Bee-eater, both of which are found in Asia. 

Meropogon: This is a monotypic genus, containing only one species: the Purple-bearded Bee-eater, which is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

The Bee-eater family (Meropidae) has a wide and colorful distribution across multiple continents in the Old World. Bee-eaters are primarily found in Africa and Asia, but their range extends to Europe and Australasia. In short, they are found in the warmer, Old World regions of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. They are absent from the Americas. Africa is home to the largest number of species, including most of the forest-dwelling, small, and medium-sized bee-eaters. In Asia, the region includes the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines, and is home to the Nyctyornis and Meropogon genera. Europe hosts only one regular breeding species, which is highly migratory while Australasia, including
Australia and New Guinea, has only one native species.

Africa: Little Bee-eater, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Ethiopian Bee-eater, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Little Green Bee-eater (African), Somali Bee-eater, Böhm's Bee-eater, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, White-fronted Bee-eater, Red-throated Bee-eater, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Rosy Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Blue-moustached Bee-eater, Black-headed Bee-eater, White-throated Bee-eater, Olive Bee-eater*, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater*, European Bee-eater* 

Asia: Red-bearded Bee-eater, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Asian Green Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Rufous-crowned Bee-eater, Arabian Green Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater*, European Bee-eater*

Europe: European Bee-eater 

Australasia: Rainbow Bee-eater

Note: Species marked with an asterisk (*) are widely migratory and also breed in Europe or Asia, but are listed in Africa as it is their primary non-breeding or wintering ground.

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Contact me to make a reservation for a private birding tour with an experienced and licensed tourist guide specialize in birdwatching and photography tours. I have been guiding professionally since 2007 with birders coming from United States, Canada, UK, Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Greece, South Africa, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Brunei and others.

This page is created on 12 December 2025 by 
Cheong Weng Chun (malaysianbirder), 
BSc Forestry majoring in Parks and Recreation Management (UPM)
Licensed Tourist Guide TG8409

Send messages via WhatsApp to +60183632738 or email to wengchun@gmail.com 

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Check out the following bird families:

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Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus (resident / migrant)

10 Mar 2013 / Pahang / Nikon 

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Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis (resident / migrant)

2 Jun 2020 / Selangor / Panasonic

23 May 2017 / Selangor / Nikon

2 Jun 2020 / Selangor / Panasonic

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Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus (migrant)

24 Mar 2021 / Selangor / Olympus

29 Dec 2005 / Johor / Nikon

22 Jan 2014 / Selangor / Nikon

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Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti (resident)



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Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis (vagrant)



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Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus (vagrant)



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About Me

Hi! I love watching birds, taking photographs (and video), and guiding people through nature. Welcome to my blog, A Malaysian Birder. I'll be sharing all the great birds I see and the photos I take right here on this blog. I got into bird watching when I was in university studying parks and recreation management. I used to work in parks and gardens, teaching people about the environment and organizing birding walks. Whenever I go out to look for birds, I always bring my binoculars and spotting scope to help me see them up close. Sometimes, I even bring a microphone to record their calls. It's always an adventure out in the field!

In the past, I will have my Kowa BDXD 8x32 binocular, Zoom H2N recorder, Kowa TSN-501 and my favorite Nikon1 V1 with a 70-300mm lens. This is the lightest setup I have tried and owned. From then onwards, I have used Omicron 8x26 binocular (and i bought 4 units), Leica Ultravid 8x32 binocular, Kowa Spotting Scope TSN773 with 20-60x eyepiece, Panasonic Lumix G7, Panasonic Lumix G9 with a 100-300mm lens and currently experimenting with Sony ILCE-A6700 and Sony SEL 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS lens.

Bird Watching Tours

There are quite a number of birding groups from Australia, United States and United Kingdom that come over to Malaysia annually visiting the traditional key sites that include Kuala Selangor, Fraser's Hill and Taman Negara. There is not doubt that the 3 sites are the preferred birding sites in Peninsular Malaysia. So if you are coming over for birding and intend to hire a guide, you can send me an email at nature2pixel@gmail.com and go over to posting section to view photos and summary of trip reports with testimonials from past clients.

Besides following the traditional route, I also customized trip according to clients needs, preference and interests. So there are some local patches that I can introduce to all bird watchers, digiscopers and photographers.

Here are a few of my favorite birding spots around Kuala Lumpur.

• Kuala Selangor - the habitats include mangrove forest. Good for woodpecker and kingfisher. Some amount of walking is required on flat terrain.

• Fraser's Hill - one of the traditional key sites for birding in Peninsular Malaysia and still the best place to visit. Elevation between 900 - 1200m above sea level. The species found here are different from the city of Kuala Lumpur. Targets may include Trogon, Woodpecker, Partridge, Laughingthrush, Leafbird, Spiderhunter and Sunbird.

• Hulu Langat - one of the most visited birding spot due to its proximity from the city centre. Walking is required but on easy terrain in this lowland forest. Sometimes need to wait at fruiting trees. Generally a good spot for Broadbill, Kingfisher, and Babbler.

• Bukit Tinggi - An alternative spot if you do not want to spend too long hours travelling to Fraser's Hill. It's about 900m to 1,000m above sea level and you get a combination of lowland and highland species at this elevation. Walking is required but just a short distance. Traditional known for Broadbill, Hornbill, Partridge and Pheasant.

• Gombak-Ampang - Generally recommended for photographers targeting Blue-eared Kingfisher and at times during fruiting season, it attracts many species of Bulbul and Barbet. Located in urban area.

• Putrajaya - If you are staying in any hotel in Putrajaya, it's a good place to look for herons, egrets, bittern and storks.

Bird Families

Check the bird families and the taxonomy updates HERE.

My Artwork Products

Bird Video

I am also interested to take video of birds. Here are some of my favorite videos for your viewing. Video taken with Nikon1 V1 attached to a Sigma 500mm f4.5 and most of the time iPhone SE through the spotting scope. Editing is done on smartphone Power Director for Android device and I also like the iMovie on iPhone. Enjoy.

Recommended Field Guides & Books

If you are interested to get a copy of field guides to assist you to learn and identify birds in Malaysia. Click the followings to find out more.

March 2024. Fortunate enough to meet 1 of the authors before it was launched in Kuala Lumpur. Another great field guide for all birders who want to get the most updated information about birds of Malaysia.