Two species broadly separated
- Intervening 2,000 km (1,243 mi) includes unsuitable habitat
- Uninhabited regions is too warm and humid in summertime (Fry 1984)
Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus)
- East, West, and Central Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa in a narrow belt from the Atlantic to Indian Oceans; north and east of Kenya, northeast Tanzania
- Countries include: Benin; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo, The Democratic Republic of; Côte d'Ivoire; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda (IUCN 2008)
Southern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicoides)
- Southern Africa
- Occupy a broad belt from Rwanda to Swaziland and from Angola to Western Rift Valley in Kenya; in southern Mozambique to the Indian Ocean; heart of range is Zambia's Luangwa River
- Countries include: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, United Republic of Zambia, Zimbabwe (IUCN 2008)
Complex migratory patterns within range
- 3-stage migration pattern for both species
- Occupy breeding/nesting ranges at higher latitudes in summer and lower latitudes after nesting (Fry 1984)
- Fry (1984) lists known nesting locations (at the time)
- Carmine Bee-eaters are not as conspicuous or regular in their migration habits as White-throated or European Bee-eaters
