Indian Honeyguide

Like other honeyguides it leads humans and bears to bee hives. They are among a few vertebrates capable of feeding on bees-wax.

The Indian Honeyguide is classified as Near Threatened (NT), is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

Male Indian honeyguides defend bees’nests, at which they feed, and to whichfemales are admitted if they will mate. Thisspecies lacks white in the tail and may nothe parasitic, since females bring young tobees’ nests and their eggs have never beenfound despite searches of nests of likelyhosts. In several other species males givesimple monotonous calls from perches towhich females come to mate ; some speciesseem to defend possible hosts against otherhoneyguides. More

Order : Piciformes
Family : Indicatoridae
Genus : Indicator
Species : xanthonotus
Authority : Blyth, 1842