Greater Honeyguide
Indicator indicator
The Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator) is a uncommon honeyguid found in 38 countries, weighing about 50 g. The greater honeyguide is a bird in the family Indicatoridae, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers.
About the Greater Honeyguide
The greater honeyguide is a bird in the family Indicatoridae, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers. Its English and scientific names refer to its habit of guiding people to bee colonies. Claims that it also guides non-human animals are disputed.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The greater honeyguide has bold white patches on the sides of the tail, is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weighs about 50 g (1.8 oz). The male has a black throat, pink bill, dark grey-brown upperparts and white underparts. The wings are streaked whitish, and the shoulder patch is yellow. The female is duller, has a blackish bill, and her throat is black. Immature birds have olive-brown upperparts with a white rump, yellow throat and upper breast.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Somalia, Togo, Congo - Brazzaville, Liberia.
When to see it
The Greater Honeyguide can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Greater Honeyguide?
- The greater honeyguide has bold white patches on the sides of the tail, is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and weighs about 50 g (1.8 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Greater Honeyguide?
- The Greater Honeyguide is a small sized bird weighing about 50 g.
- Where can you see a Greater Honeyguide?
- The Greater Honeyguide occurs in 38 countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
- What birds look similar to a Greater Honeyguide?
- The Greater Honeyguide is most easily confused with the Lesser Honeyguide, the Scaly-throated Honeyguide and the Yellow-rumped Honeyguide.
- Is the Greater Honeyguide endangered?
- The Greater Honeyguide is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Greater Honeyguide for real
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