This bee-eater is more common in southern Africa than the Olive Bee-eater M. superciliosus and is also migratory within Africa. However, breeding colonies, which are found in northern and eastern Botswana, throughout Zimbabwe and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, are often under threat. Three colonies of unknown size were found during a survey of 60 km of the Zambezi River in October 2002, and a colony containing between 3,000 and 8,000 nest holes was found on the Zambezi River near Kalizo Lodge in December 2002.