Green-backed Honeybird

Prodotiscus zambesiae

Least ConcernRareInvertebratesForestTiny · 10 g

About the Green-backed Honeybird

The green-backed honeybird, also known as the eastern green-backed honeyguide, green-backed honeyguide and slender-billed honeyguide, is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae. It is a nest parasite of three white-eye species. It is an insectivore that sometimes eats the waxy shed of scaly insects.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

The adult green-backed honeybird of both sexes has ashy-gray, sometimes white, underparts, which is considered an adaptation to its environment. Its upperparts are gray-green, and its outer tail feathers, including the tips, are white. Between the back and the side, it has a white patch that can be raised upright. Its beak and legs are black. In Angola, this species is greener, less golden, and overall darker than in other areas. In Central Ethiopia, it is also darker. The juvenile is duller than the adult. It is greyer, paler, yellower above and yellowish-brown below. Voice: This honeybird species likely has a song that goes “Pee-wee-it” with three main notes. The “pee” is low and weak, followed by a higher, longer “wee,” which is the only part that can be heard at a distance. The last part of the song, the “it”, is sharper and faster.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it lives

Regular range

When to see it

Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Learn the Green-backed Honeybird for real

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