Little Bee-eater

Merops pusillus

Africa's smallest bee-eater. Catches bees mid-air and wipes off venom on a branch before swallowing. Often perches in pairs.

Population: Not numerically quantified by IUCN/BirdLife (last population-size estimate dates to 2009 and was rated poor quality); species is common and widespread across an extent of occurrence of ~14–22 million km², with population trend suspected decreasing due to pesticide spraying for tsetse-fly control. An unsourced Wikipedia figure of 60–80 million individuals is not corroborated by BirdLife DataZone and is not used as the estimate.
Habitat: Open country with scattered bushes, preferably near water — dry and moist savanna, acacia steppe, grassland/shrubland, riparian and seasonally flooded/marshy areas, rocky outcrops, and arable/human-modified land; found from sea level up to high elevation (BirdLife cites up to ~5,000 m), low forest dependency
Fun fact: Unlike most bee-eaters, which nest colonially, the Little Bee-eater nests solitarily, digging its own tunnel into sandy banks or repurposing old aardvark burrows.
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa, resident/non-migratory across 40+ countries from Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau in the west to Somalia in the east and south to South Africa; extent of occurrence estimated at ~14–22 million km²
Diet: Aerial insects caught by sallying from a low perch, mainly bees, wasps and hornets, plus other flying invertebrates; stingers/venom sacs are removed by repeatedly striking prey against a branch, wire or hard surface before swallowing
Size: 0.16 m
Lifespan: 5.4 years

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