Honeyguide

Honeyguides are a group of birds that have an Old World tropical distribution, with the greatest number of species in Africa and two in Asia.
They are also known as indicator birds, or honey birds, because some of them can guide humans or other animals to sources of honey in the wild.

The Honeyguide is a bird that belongs to the family Indicatoridae, which are related to the woodpeckers. There are 17 species of Honeyguides, most of them living in Africa and two in Asia. The Honeyguide is best known for its amazing ability to guide humans to bee colonies, where it feeds on the wax and larvae after the humans take the honey.

The Honeyguide has a dull-colored plumage, usually brown, gray or olive, with some yellow patches on the wings or tail. The tail feathers are white on the outer edges, which are visible when the bird spreads its tail. The Honeyguide has a strong, curved bill and a short tongue. The size of the Honeyguide varies from 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in) in length, depending on the species.

The most famous species of Honeyguide is the greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator), which has a black beard and yellow shoulder patches in males, and a plain brown plumage in females. The greater honeyguide can understand different types of human calls that attract it to lead them to the bees. It can also make a distinctive chattering sound to signal its presence and willingness to guide. The greater honeyguide has a mutualistic relationship with the Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, who benefit from finding more honey with the bird’s help.