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honeyguide| In botany, line or spot on the petals of a flower that indicate to pollinating insects the position of the nectaries (see nectar) within the flower. The orange dot on the lower lip of the toadflax flower (Linaria vulgaris) is an example. Sometimes the markings reflect only ultraviolet light, which can be seen by many insects although it is not visible to the human eye. |
honeyguide| Bird of the species Indicator and Protodiscus, two genera constituting the family Indicatoridae, order Piciformes, related to the woodpeckers and barbets. Their name is derived from their habit of conducting travellers in the direction of bees' nests by means of a shrill cry or hiss, fluttering round until they are sure that they are being followed. After the honey has been taken, the bird feeds on the wax of the comb. |
| Most of the species are found in Africa: P. regulus is a native of central and southern Africa, and P. insignis of tropical Africa. However, I. archipelagus and I. xanthonotus inhabit the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. |
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| Newly hatched honeyguides peck their nestling competition to death with heavy, hooked bills. In the great Okavango Delta and adjacent reserves, we saw wild dogs, impala, lechwe, gnu, kudo, jackals, baboons, elephants, crocodiles, hippopotami, kons, giraffes, the elusive sitatunga, aardvarks, wildebeest, warthogs, fish eagles, sec retary birds, multicolored rollers, honeyguides, and a gokath heron. Reyer of the Max-Planck Institute in Seewiesen, West Germany, watched Boran honey hunters work with honeyguides for three years. |