Editing Bee-eater (section)

===Species in taxonomic order===
{{cladogram|title=Evolutionary relationships
|caption=[[Phylogenetic tree]] (maximum parsimony) based on a 2007 study. ''Nyctyornis athertoni'' and ''Merops revoilii'' were not included in the study. The placement of ''Meropogon'' is unclear.<ref name="phylo" />
|cladogram=
{{clade|style=font-size:75%;line-height:75%
 |1=''Nyctyornis''
 |2={{clade
  |1={{clade
   |1=''Merops bullockoides''
   |2=''M. bulocki''
  }}
  |2={{clade 
   |1={{clade
    |state1=dashed
    |1=''Meropogon forsteni''
    |2=''Merops breweri''
   }}
   |2={{clade
    |1={{clade
     |1=''M. gularis''
     |2=''M. muelleri''
    }}
    |2={{clade
     |1=''M. hirundineus''
     |2={{clade
      |1=''M. oreobates''
      |2={{clade
       |1=''M. pusillus''
       |2=''M. variegatus''
      }}
     }}
    }}
   }}
   |3={{clade
    |1={{clade
     |1={{clade
      |1=''M. boehmi''
     }}
     |2={{clade
      |1=''M. albicollis''
      |2={{clade
       |1=''M. nubicus''
       |2={{clade
        |1=''M. malimbicus''
        |2={{clade
         |1={{clade
          |1=''M. orientalis''
          |2={{clade
           |1=''M. leschenaulti''
           |2=''M. viridis''
          }}
         }}
         |2={{clade
          |1=''M. philippinus''
          |2={{clade
           |1={{clade
            |1=''M. apiaster''
            |2=''M. ornatus''
           }}
           |2={{clade
            |1=''M. persicus''
            |2=''M. superciliosus''
           }}
          }}
         }}
        }}
       }}
      }}
     }}
    }}
   }}
  }}
 }}
}}
}}

The bee-eater family contains the following species.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Genus   !! Living Species
|-
|[[File:Nyctyornis amictus - Kaeng Krachan.jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Nyctyornis]]''''' {{small|Jardine & Selby, 1830}}||
* [[Red-bearded bee-eater]], ''Nyctyornis amictus''
* [[Blue-bearded bee-eater]], ''Nyctyornis athertoni''
|-
|[[File:Purple-bearded Bee-eater - Sulawesi MG 5287.jpg|175px]]||'''''Meropogon''''' {{small|Bonaparte, 1850}}||
* [[Purple-bearded bee-eater]], ''Meropogon forsteni''
|-
|[[File:Merops bulocki frenatus.jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Merops (genus)|Merops]]''''' {{small|Linnaeus, 1758}}||
* [[Little bee-eater]], ''Merops pusillus''
* [[Blue-cheeked bee-eater]], ''Merops persicus''
* [[Green bee-eater|Asian green bee-eater]], ''Merops orientalis''
*[[African green bee-eater]], ''Merops viridissimus''
*[[Arabian green bee-eater]], ''Merops cyanophyrs''
* [[White-throated bee-eater]], ''Merops albicollis''
* [[Swallow-tailed bee-eater]], ''Merops hirundineus''
* [[Blue-tailed bee-eater]], ''Merops philippinus''
* [[Black bee-eater]], ''Merops gularis''
* [[Blue-headed bee-eater]], ''Merops muelleri''
* [[Blue-moustached bee-eater]], ''Merops mentalis''
* [[Red-throated bee-eater]], ''Merops bulocki''
* [[White-fronted bee-eater]], ''Merops bullockoides''
* [[Blue-breasted bee-eater]], ''Merops variegatus''
* [[Ethiopian bee-eater]], ''Merops lafresnayii''
* [[Cinnamon-chested bee-eater]], ''Merops oreobates''
* [[Black-headed bee-eater]], ''Merops breweri''
* [[Somali bee-eater]], ''Merops revoilii''
* [[Böhm's bee-eater]], ''Merops boehmi''
* [[Blue-throated bee-eater]], ''Merops viridis''
* [[Rufous-crowned bee-eater]], ''Merops americanus''
* [[Olive bee-eater]], ''Merops superciliosus''
* [[Rainbow bee-eater]], ''Merops ornatus''
* [[European bee-eater]], ''Merops apiaster''
* [[Chestnut-headed bee-eater]], ''Merops leschenaulti''
* [[Rosy bee-eater]], ''Merops malimbicus''
* [[Northern carmine bee-eater]], ''Merops nubicus''
* [[Southern carmine bee-eater]], ''Merops nubicoides''
|-
|}

The Asian green bee-eater, African green bee-eater, and Arabian green bee-eater were previously considered to be a single species, and are still treated as such by some authorities.<ref name="hbwasianb" /><ref name="hbwarabb" /><ref name="hbwafricanb" />

A 2007 [[nuclear DNA|nuclear]] and [[mitochondrial DNA]] study produced a possible [[phylogenetic tree]], although the position of the purple-bearded bee-eater seems anomalous, in that it appears amongst ''Merops'' species.<ref name="phylo" />