LibGuides: Carmine Bee-eaters (Merops nubicus &amp; M. nubicoides) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Population Status

Global population estimate for Northern and Southern Carmine Bee-eaters

Regional population estimates

No bee-eater species currently of serious conservation concern (Fry 2001)

Range of both species extremely large
- Not considered vulnerable because of this size (needs to be less than 20,000 km sq to be considered Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List)
Colonies in some regions increasingly concentrated in protected areas
- National parks and the Zambezi River Valley through portions of Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique are important areas for these birds
Population declines in some areas not sufficient to classify as vulnerable
- Decline does not meet the IUCN thresholds for Vulnerable due to population size guidelines
  - IUCN guidelines may not reflect actual situation for migratory birds such as these Bee-eaters

IUCN Status

Northern Carmine Bee-eater, M. nubicus
- Least Concern (2016 assessment) (Birdlife International 2016a)
Southern Carmine Bee-eater, M. nubicoides
- Least Concern (2024 assessment) (Birdlife International 2024a)
  - Population trend: decreasing (caused mainly by habitat destruction)

CITES Status

Potential threats

Intensified land/water use by humans
- Increasing use of insecticides (e.g., to control tsetse flies)
Habitat degradation
- Silting of rivers due to poor land management practices and dam construction (Fry 2001)
- Changes in water levels due to dams, erosion of cliffs, and speedboat use (del Hoyo et al. 2018)
Persecution by humans
Exploited for food (del Hoyo et al. 2018)
- Sometimes to local extinction
Starvation, due to insect scarcity after severe dry season (del Hoyo et al. 2018)

Fry (2001)
IUCN (2008)