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Honeyguides

Honeyguides are a family of birds distributed across the Old World tropics, predominantly in Africa, with a few species in Asia. These birds, often with dull or yellow plumage and white outer tail feathers, range in size from the small green-backed honeyguide at 10.2 g to the large lyre-tailed honeyguide at 54.2 g. Notable for their unique diet, honeyguides consume beeswax, wax secretions of insects, waxworms, various insects, spiders, and occasionally fruit. Their most fascinating behavior is exhibited by species such as the greater honeyguide which leads humans to bee colonies so they can harvest honey while the bird feeds on the leftover grubs and wax. This interaction may significantly increase the honey-hunting success rate, as observed with the Hadza people of Tanzania. Far from the myths, there is no evidence that honeyguides lead honey badgers to bees. While many honeyguides are solitary wax foragers, they share the common name due to linguistic reasons. Known for their parasitic breeding habits, these birds lay their eggs in the nests of other species, leading to their chicks outcompeting their hosts' offspring. Overall, the Indicatoridae family encompasses seventeen species across four genera, characterized by varied body sizes, a specialized diet, and a unique relationship with humans and other bird species for breeding success.

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Categories

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Accentors
Albatrosses
Alcippe Fulvettas
Asian Barbets
Auks
Austral Storm Petrels
Babblers, Scimitar Babblers
Barn Owls
Bearded Reedling
Bee-eaters
Bulbuls
Buntings
Bushtits
Bustards
Buttonquail
Caracaras, Falcons
Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies
Chats, Old World Flycatchers
Cisticolas & Allies
Cormorants, Shags
Coursers, Pratincoles
Cranes
Crows, Jays
Cuckoos
Cuckooshrikes
Cupwings
Dippers
Drongos
Ducks, Geese, Swans
Elachura
Fairy Flycatchers
Fairy-bluebirds
Fantails
Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra
Finches, Euphonias
Flamingos
Flowerpeckers
Frigatebirds
Frogmouths
Gannets, Boobies
Goldcrests, Kinglets
Grassbirds & Allies
Grebes
Ground Babblers
Gulls, Terns, Skimmers
Herons, Bitterns

Honeyguides

Hoopoes
Hornbills
Ibisbill
Ibises, Spoonbills
Indigobirds, Whydahs
Ioras
Jacanas
Kingfishers
Kites, Hawks, Eagles
Larks
Laughingthrushes & Allies
Leaf Warblers & Allies
Leafbirds
Longspurs, Snow Buntings
Loons
Monarchs
New World Sparrows
New World Warblers
Nightjars
Northern Storm Petrels
Nuthatches
Old World Parrots
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches
Ospreys
Owls
Oystercatchers
Painted-snipes
Parrotbills & Allies
Pelicans
Penduline Tits
Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels
Pheasants & Allies
Pigeons, Doves
Pittas
Plovers
Przevalski's Finch
Rails, Crakes & Coots
Reed Warblers & Allies
Rollers
Sandgrouse
Sandpipers, Snipes
Shrikes
Skuas
Starlings, Rhabdornis
Stilts, Avocets
Stone-curlews, Thick-knees
Storks
Sunbirds
Swallows, Martins
Swifts
Sylviid Babblers
Tanagers & Allies
Thrushes
Tits, Chickadees
Treecreepers
Treeswifts
Trogons
Tropicbirds
Typical Broadbills
Vangas & Allies
Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers
Wagtails, Pipits
Wallcreeper
Waxbills, Munias & Allies
Waxwings
Weavers, Widowbirds
White-eyes
Woodpeckers
Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies
Wrens
A photo of a Yellow-rumped Honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus)

Yellow-rumped Honeyguide

Indicator xanthonotus
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Species Categories

AccentorsAlbatrossesAlcippe FulvettasAsian BarbetsAuksAustral Storm PetrelsBabblers, Scimitar BabblersBarn OwlsBearded ReedlingBee-eatersBulbulsBuntingsBushtitsBustardsButtonquailCaracaras, FalconsCettia Bush Warblers & AlliesChats, Old World FlycatchersCisticolas & AlliesCormorants, ShagsCoursers, PratincolesCranesCrows, JaysCuckoosCuckooshrikesCupwingsDippersDrongosDucks, Geese, SwansElachuraFairy FlycatchersFairy-bluebirdsFantailsFigbirds, Orioles, TurnagraFinches, EuphoniasFlamingosFlowerpeckersFrigatebirdsFrogmouthsGannets, BoobiesGoldcrests, KingletsGrassbirds & AlliesGrebesGround BabblersGulls, Terns, SkimmersHerons, BitternsHoneyguidesHoopoesHornbillsIbisbillIbises, SpoonbillsIndigobirds, WhydahsIorasJacanasKingfishersKites, Hawks, EaglesLarksLaughingthrushes & AlliesLeaf Warblers & AlliesLeafbirdsLongspurs, Snow BuntingsLoonsMonarchsNew World SparrowsNew World WarblersNightjarsNorthern Storm PetrelsNuthatchesOld World ParrotsOld World Sparrows, SnowfinchesOspreysOwlsOystercatchersPainted-snipesParrotbills & AlliesPelicansPenduline TitsPetrels, Shearwaters, Diving PetrelsPheasants & AlliesPigeons, DovesPittasPloversPrzevalski's FinchRails, Crakes & CootsReed Warblers & AlliesRollersSandgrouseSandpipers, SnipesShrikesSkuasStarlings, RhabdornisStilts, AvocetsStone-curlews, Thick-kneesStorksSunbirdsSwallows, MartinsSwiftsSylviid BabblersTanagers & AlliesThrushesTits, ChickadeesTreecreepersTreeswiftsTrogonsTropicbirdsTypical BroadbillsVangas & AlliesVireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblersWagtails, PipitsWallcreeperWaxbills, Munias & AlliesWaxwingsWeavers, WidowbirdsWhite-eyesWoodpeckersWoodswallows, Butcherbirds & AlliesWrens

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