Indicatoridae - Honeyguides

Honeyguides range in size from 4-8 inches in length. Most species are a dull green or brown and have white breasts and bellies.

Honeyguides have short wings and short to medium tails. Honeyguides eat beeswax and insects.

Honeyguides are nest parasites. The female honeyguide will lay an egg in the nest of another bird and then leave. She may also destroy any other eggs she finds in the nest to give her chick a better chance of survival. Eggs are usually left in tree cavity nests of woodpeckers or barbets.

Indicatoridae Photo Gallery

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct
Status taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status, or there is no status data for the species.

Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US

Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

Species Around the World
Location Key Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North/Central America South America NH Species
Malaysian Honeyguide - Indicator archipelagicus Least Honeyguide - Indicator exilis Greater Honeyguide - Indicator indicator Spotted Honeyguide - Indicator maculatus Pallid Honeyguide - Indicator meliphilus Lesser Honeyguide - Indicator minor Dwarf Honeyguide - Indicator pumilio Scaly-throated Honeyguide - Indicator variegatus		Willcocks's Honeyguide - Indicator willcocksi Yellow-rumped Honeyguide - Indicator xanthonotus Lyre-tailed Honeyguide - Melichneutes robustus Yellow-footed Honeyguide - Melignomon eisentrauti Zenker's Honeyguide - Melignomon zenkeri Cassin's Honeyguide - Prodotiscus insignis Wahlberg's Honeyguide - Prodotiscus regulus Green-backed Honeyguide - Prodotiscus zambesiae

Additional Information

Resource Key
Profile Photos Video Audio

Honeyguides
Honeyguides have very thick skin, probably to protect them from bee stings.
Source: Nashville Zoo Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Cassin's Honeyguide - Prodotiscus insignis
Cassin's honeyguide is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Dwarf Honeyguide - Indicator pumilio
The dwarf honeyguide is found in Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Greater Honeyguide - Indicator indicator
The greater honeyguide is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Greater Honeyguide - Indicator indicator
Greater honeyguides are the largest bird of the Indicatoridae family.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Lesser Honeyguide - Indicator minor
The lesser honeyguide is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Malaysian Honeyguide - Indicator archipelagicus
The Malaysian honeyguide is found in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Malaysian Honeyguide - Indicator archipelagicus
The Malaysian honeyguide is also known as the Sunda honeyguide.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Pallid Honeyguide - Indicator meliphilus
The pallid honeyguide is found in Angola, Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Scaly-throated Honeyguide - Indicator variegatus
Scaly-throated honeyguide is found in Angola, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Willcocks's Honeyguide - Indicator willcocksi
Willcock's honeyguide is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Yellow-footed Honeyguide - Melignomon eisentrauti
The yellow-footed honeyguide is found in Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Yellow-rumped Honeyguide - Indicator xanthonotus
The yellow-rumped honeyguide is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School