Gould wrote 'Many of these beautiful birds are migratory, or at least change their locale according to the seasons;... and the azure-skies of Greece, Italy, and Spain are far more congenial to its habits and economy than the cold blasts of more northern countries; its occurrence in the British Islands, however, has been sufficiently frequent to entitle it to a place in our avifauna.'

The male bee-eater is depicted with a young bird behind.

DISTRIBUTION: Breeds from Iberia, southern France and northwest Africa east to Kashmir and Kazakhstan; also South Africa. Winters Africa south of Sahara. Rare but regular vagrant to Britain. One pair attempted to breed in 1920 and two bred successfully in 1955 in Sussex