Honeyguide birds, also known as honey birds, indicator birds, and simply honeyguides, (family Indicatoridae) are several dull-colored near passerine bird species of the order Piciformes, notable for their method of obtaining food. They have an Old World tropical distribution, with the greatest number of species in Africa and a few in Asia. Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Near passerine is a term often given to those land birds most closely related to the true passerines in the order Passeriformes Rainbow Bee-eater They comprise Order Pterocliformes sandgrouse Order Columbiformes dodos, pigeons and doves Order Psittaciformes cockatoos and parrots Order Cuculiformes turacos and cuckoos Order Strigiformes owls Order... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Picidae Capitonidae Ramphastidae Galbulidae Bucconidae Indicatoridae Six families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. ... The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus: Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia) and the surrounding islands. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia, defined by subtracting Europe from Eurasia. ...

The honeyguide feeds exclusively on the contents of bee colonies: beeswax, honey, and bee larvae. However, since it is unable to open colonies by itself, the African species enlist the help of other animals - typically the ratel (or African honey badger), the baboon, or the human. Beeswax is a tough wax formed from a mixture of several compounds including: hydrocarbons 14%, monoesters 35%, diesters 14%, triesters 3%, hydroxy monoesters 4%, Hydroxy polyesters 8%, acid esters 1%, acid polyesters 2%, free acids 12%, free alcohols 1%, unidentified 6% [1]. Beeswax is secreted by honeybees in the form... Honey honey comb A capped frame of honeycomb Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by bees and other insects from the nectar of flowers. ... Families Andrenidae Apidae Colletidae Halictidae Heterogynaidae Megachilidae Melittidae Oxaeidae Sphecidae Stenotritidae bee or bees, see bee (disambiguation). ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Binomial name Mellivora capensis (Schreber, 1776) The Ratel (Mellivora capensis), also known as the Honey Badger, is a member of the Mustelidae family. ... Binomial name Mellivora capensis (Schreber, 1776) The Ratel (Mellivora capensis), also known as the Honey Badger, is a member of the Mustelidae family. ... Type species Papio hamadryas Hamadryas Baboon Species Papio hamadryas Papio papio Papio anubis Papio cynocephalus Papio ursinus The Baboon is the largest non-hominid member of the primate order. ... Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...

After locating a hive, the honeyguide seeks out a suitable "follower", which it then leads to the hive by means of a series of characteristic vocalizations, gestures, and flight patterns. The follower is expected to open the colony or hive, incapacitate the adult bees, feed on the contents, and leave remnants for the honeyguide. The bird is rarely disappointed in this respect, if only because its symbiotic stomach bacteria enable it to digest beeswax, which its followers tend to ignore. Bushmen tradition says that the honeyguide must be thanked with a gift of honey, and that if it is not, it may lead its follower to a lion as punishment. Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their magnificent sea anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... The Bushmen or San peoples of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Namibia, who live in the Kalahari, are part of the Khoisan group and are related to the Khoikhoi. ... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ...

Although the Asian members of the Indicatoridae family are not known to recruit "followers" in their quest for honey, they are also referred to as "honeyguides", due to linguistic extrapolation.

Reproduction

In addition to being a bee predator, a mutualist with its follower species, and a symbiont with its wax-digesting bacteria, the honeyguide is a brood parasite. Honeyguide nestlings have been known to physically eject their host's chicks from the nest, and in some honeyguide species have hooks on their beaks with which to more easily wound or kill. The closely-related barbets are a frequent choice of host species. This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... For another use of the term see Mutualism (economic theory). ... Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. ... Brood parasite is a term specifically applied to birds or insects that leave their eggs in the nests of other birds or insects to be raised. ... This article is about the Barbet family of birds. ...

Classification

The Indicatoridae belongs to the order Piciformes as shown here. Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Families Picidae Capitonidae Ramphastidae Galbulidae Bucconidae Indicatoridae Six families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. ...

• Order Piciformes
  • Family Picidae, (woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks)
  • Family Capitonidae, (barbets)
  • Family Ramphastidae, (toucans)
  • Family Indicatoridae, (honeyguides)
  • Family Galbulidae, (jacamars)
  • Family Bucconidae, (puffbirds etc)

The last two families are sometimes separated as the order Galbuliformes. Genera Many, see text. ... Genera Many, see text. ... Genera Picumnus Sasia Nesoctites The piculets are a distinctive group of small woodpeckers which occur mainly in tropical South America, with just three Asian and one African species elsewhere. ... Species The wrynecks are a small but distinctive group of small Old World woodpeckers. ... This article is about the Barbet family of birds. ... This article is about the Barbet family of birds. ... Genera Aulacorhynchus Pteroglossus Baillonius Andigena Selenidera Ramphastos Toucans (in Portuguese: Tucano, Spanish: Tucán) are tropical near passerine birds from South America. ... Genera Aulacorhynchus Pteroglossus Baillonius Andigena Selenidera Ramphastos Toucans (in Portuguese: Tucano, Spanish: Tucán) are tropical near passerine birds from South America. ... Genera Galbalcyrhynchus Brachygalba Jacamaralcyon Galbula Jacamerops The jacamars are near passerine birds from tropical South America, extending up to Mexico. ... Genera Galbalcyrhynchus Brachygalba Jacamaralcyon Galbula Jacamerops The jacamars are near passerine birds from tropical South America, extending up to Mexico. ... Genera Notharchus Bucco Nystalus Hypnelus Micromonacha Nonnula Hapaloptila Chelidoptera Malacoptila Monasa The puffbirds and their relatives in the near passerine bird family Bucconidae are tropical near passerine birds from Mexico. ... Genera Notharchus Bucco Nystalus Hypnelus Micromonacha Nonnula Hapaloptila Chelidoptera Malacoptila Monasa The puffbirds and their relatives in the near passerine bird family Bucconidae are tropical near passerine birds from South America, extending up to Mexico. ...

Seventeen species in three genera compose the Indicatoridae: In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a grouping in the classification of living organisms having one or more related and morphologically similar species. ...

• Family Indicatoridae
  • Genus Indicator
    • Spotted Honeyguide, Indicator maculatus
    • Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Indicator variegatus
    • Greater Honeyguide, Indicator indicator
    • Malaysian Honeyguide, Indicator archipelagicus
    • Lesser Honeyguide, Indicator minor
    • Thick-billed Honeyguide, Indicator conirostris
    • Willcock's Honeyguide, Indicator willcocksi
    • Least Honeyguide, Indicator exilis
    • Dwarf Honeyguide, Indicator pumilio
    • Pallid Honeyguide, Indicator meliphilus
    • Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Indicator xanthonotus
  • Genus Melichneutes
    • Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Melichneutes robustus
    • Yellow-footed Honeyguide, Melignomon eisentrauti
    • Zenker's Honeyguide, Melignomon zenkeri
  • Genus Prodotiscus
    • Cassin's Honeyguide, Prodotiscus insignis
    • Green-backed Honeyguide, Prodotiscus zambesiae
    • Wahlberg's Honeyguide, Prodotiscus regulus