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Three Bee-Eaters of Vietnam — Colour, Precision, and Life in the Open
Trẩu Lớn (Merops viridis) · Trẩu ngực nâu (Merops philippinus) · Trảu Đầu Hạt Dẻ (Merops leschenaulti)
There are birds you hear before you see. Bee-eaters are not those birds. The moment one perches in the open — electric green, blue throat, tail spike catching the light — your eyes find it before your brain has time to process what it's looking at.
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Vietnam is home to five species of bee-eaters, all members of the family Meropidae. Three of them — the Blue-throated (Merops viridis), the Blue-tailed (Merops philippinus), and the Chestnut-headed (Merops leschenaulti) — share overlapping ranges in the south and are among the most rewarding birds to photograph in the field. Different in plumage, similar in character: bold, precise, and completely indifferent to being watched.
Meet the Species
Blue-throated Bee-eater · Merops viridis · Trẩu Lớn
Yellow Flamboyants: A Canopy of Light
The Blue-throated is the rarest of the three — an uncommon resident in southern Vietnam and a rare passage migrant further north. The best window for observation is February through April. Its defining feature is the vivid blue throat patch set against a rich chestnut head and mantle, with green wings and a fine elongated tail. Key hotspots include Cat Tien National Park, Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng and Hoà Bắc (Da Nang).
Blue-tailed Bee-eater · Merops philippinus · Trẩu ngực nâu
The most widespread of the three — a fairly common resident throughout Vietnam. Larger and more boldly coloured, with a rich orange-chestnut throat fading to yellow-green on the breast, and that unmistakable blue tail. Best observed February through April, and reliably found at Tram Chim, Can Gio, Cat Tien National Park and Hoà Bắc (Da Nang).
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater · Merops leschenaulti · Trảu Đầu Hạt Dẻ
A locally fairly common resident in the south, from Central Vietnam down through the Mekong Delta. The chestnut head and bright yellow throat make it one of the most distinctive of the five Vietnamese species. Like the others, February through April is prime time. Hotspots include Tram Chim, Cat Tien, Da Lat and Hoà Bắc (Da Nang).
How they live
Bee-eaters do exactly what the name promises. They hunt flying insects — bees, wasps, hornets — caught mid-air from an exposed perch. Before swallowing, they beat the insect against a branch or hard surface to discharge the venom. It's one of those behaviours that looks effortless but is actually a refined survival skill refined over millions of years.
Beyond hunting, these birds are surprisingly particular about hygiene. Bee-eaters spend more than three hours a day on feather maintenance — sunning, dust bathing, and water bathing. For a bird defined by its colour, that investment makes sense.
They are also colonial nesters. Most species dig burrows into vertical sandy riverbanks or flat ground, often returning to the same colony sites year after year. Clutches are typically five white eggs, and both parents share incubation and feeding duties — sometimes with help from neighbouring birds in the colony.
Where to Find Them in Vietnam
Both species favour open habitats: riverbanks, grasslands, open woodland edges, and agricultural margins where flying insects are abundant and perch sites are plentiful. Cat Tien National Park is consistently the most reliable location for both species, with the wetlands at Tram Chim offering excellent opportunities for the Blue-tailed in particular.
The best light for photography is the early morning and late afternoon, when low-angle sun brings out the iridescence in the feathers — especially the blue-green tones that don't photograph true in flat midday light.
Conservation Status
All five bee-eater species found in Vietnam are currently evaluated as Least Concern by the IUCN. None meet the threshold for vulnerability. That said, habitat loss — particularly the drainage of wetlands and clearing of riverbank vegetation — reduces available nesting sites. The species are resilient, but they are not immune.
Gallery
All images in this post were taken in Vietnam and feature three species: the Blue-throated (Merops viridis), Blue-tailed (Merops philippinus), and Chestnut-headed (Merops leschenaulti) Bee-eaters. The Blue-tailed — perched here on a barbed wire fence, a common hunting post in agricultural zones — shows the elongated tail spike, orange-to-yellow-green throat gradient, and dark eye-stripe that make it one of the most identifiable birds in the region.