Honey guide birds are a fascinating group of birds that have evolved a special relationship with humans. They are known for their unique behavior of guiding humans to bee hives in order to access the honey. Honey guides are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of southern Asia.
What are honey guide birds?
Honey guides are near passerine birds in the Indicatoridae family. There are 17 species of honey guides, including the greater honeyguide, the lesser honeyguide, the scaly-throated honeyguide, and the green-backed honeyguide.
Honey guides are medium sized birds, usually between 6 to 8 inches long and weighing 1 to 2.5 ounces. They have sturdy bills and stiff tail feathers which they use to perch upright on tree branches. Their plumage is cryptically colored in shades of brown, black, white, and green, providing camouflage in the dense foliage where they forage.
Honey guides are best known for their unique coevolution with humans. They have developed the remarkable behavior of guiding humans to bee hives by flying ahead, calling frequently, and behaving impatiently to attract attention. Once at the nest, the honey guide waits for the humans to raid the hive and open up the honeycomb. The honey guide then feeds on the leftover wax and bee larvae.
Where are honey guides found?
Honey guides have an Afrotropical distribution, meaning they are native to Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Their range stretches from Senegal east to Ethiopia and Somalia, and southwards to South Africa. Nine species are found in continental Africa, four species in the African islands of Madagascar, the Comoros, and Seychelles, and four species in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula.
The species found in Arabia are the greater honeyguide, the lesser honeyguide, the scaly-throated honeyguide, and the Abyssinian honeyguide. These likely expanded their range from Africa to Arabia in recent prehistoric times when more wooded habitat was available.
Within Africa, honey guides occupy a variety of wooded habitats including lowland and montane forests, open woodlands, riverine forests, and agricultural areas with scattered trees. They are largely absent from deserts and dense rainforests. Elevation ranges from sea level to as high as 10,000 feet in the Ethiopian Highlands.
Countries honey guides inhabit
Here are some of the key African countries inhabited by multiple species of honey guides:
- Democratic Republic of Congo – 7 species including lesser, greater, green-backed, pallid, zenker’s honeyguide
- Tanzania – 7 species including scaly-throated, lesser, greater, d’Arnaud’s honeyguide
- Kenya – 7 species including lesser, greater, scaly-throated, pallid, Doherty’s honeyguide
- South Africa – 7 species including lesser, greater, scaly-throated, green-backed, pallid honeyguide
- Cameroon – 7 species including lesser, greater, scaly-throated, Zenker’s, green-backed honeyguide
- Nigeria – 7 species including lesser, greater, scaly-throated, Doherty’s, green-backed honeyguide
Some honey guides like the greater honeyguide have enormous ranges spanning over 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The lesser honeyguide occupies the largest range of any species, found in over 30 countries.
What habitats do honey guides live in?
Honey guides inhabit a variety of wooded habitats across their African ranges. Key habitats include:
Woodlands and forests
Most honey guides occur in forests, especially montane forests, and in open woodlands. Forests provide nesting sites in tree cavities, while woodlands supply both nest sites and flowering trees that attract their bee prey.
Riverine forests
Riverine forests along streams and rivers are important habitats, especially in drier regions. For example, in West Africa the scaly-throated honeyguide relies on riverine forests flowing through savannas.
Agricultural areas
Honey guides readily use trees in agricultural areas, farms, and gardens. These man-modified habitats likely boost honey guide populations by increasing nest cavities in dead limbs of cultivated trees.
Arid savannas
In East Africa, honey guides penetrate into relatively arid savanna habitats. The pale-billed honeyguide occurs in Acacia-Commiphora savanna and semi-deserts in Kenya and Tanzania where other honey guides are absent.
Mangrove forests
Along the tropical coastline, honey guides inhabit mangrove forests. For example, the lesser honeyguide is found in mangroves in East Africa.
What is their elevation range?
Honey guides occupy a wide range of elevations across their African distributions:
- Sea level to 6,500 feet – Lesser honeyguide
- Sea level to 10,000 feet – Greater honeyguide
- Sea level to 11,000 feet – Scaly-throated honeyguide
- 3,000 to 7,500 feet – Pallid honeyguide
- 6,500 to 11,000 feet – Doherty’s honeyguide
In general, most species inhabit lowland areas below 3,300 feet. Only the Doherty’s honeyguide is a highland specialist, found above 6,500 feet in the Ethiopian Highlands. Meanwhile, the greater and scaly-throated honeyguides have the broadest elevation ranges.
How does geography affect honey guide distribution?
The geography of Africa has influenced honey guide distribution in several key ways:
The Sahara Desert
The vast Sahara Desert forms a major barrier between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, limiting honey guides to south of the desert in Sub-Saharan regions.
The East African Rift Valley
The Rift Valley running through East Africa has high mountains and valleys which honey guides have adapted to, evolving highland endemic species like Doherty’s honeyguide.
The Congo Rainforest
The dense Congo Rainforest lacks honey guides, except along its edges. Most species prefer more open woodlands.
Islands
Several honey guide species have colonized offshore islands including Madagascar, Pemba Island, and PrÃncipe Island.
West African Forests
The tropical forests of West Africa harbor specialized endemic honey guides like Zenker’s honeyguide found only in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
How do honey guides use their habitats?
Honey guides use their habitats in several key ways:
Foraging
Honey guides forage for insect prey like bees, wasps and beetle larvae in trees and vines.
Nesting
They nest in natural tree cavities and holes excavated by woodpeckers, needing mature trees.
Roosting
Thick vegetation and cavities provide safe night roosts sheltered from predators.
Perching
Honey guides sing and hunt for bees from high perches on dead branches.
Guiding humans
Open woodlands allow honey guides to find and interact with human honey hunters.
How do honey guides interact with other species?
Honey guides interact with various species in their habitats:
Bee species
Honey guides locate hives and prey on bees like Apis mellifera scutellata and stingless bees of the Meliponini tribe.
Woodpeckers
Honey guides nest in cavities excavated by woodpeckers like the cardinal woodpecker and bearded woodpecker.
Humans
Honey guides guide traditional African honey hunters to wild bee hives in a rare coevolved mutualism.
Hornbills
Hornbills compete with honey guides for nest sites in tree cavities.
Predators
Honey guides fall prey to hawk and owl species inhabiting African woodlands.
Conclusion
In summary, honey guide birds are widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa and parts of southern Asia. They occupy diverse wooded habitats from mangrove swamps to mountain valleys at elevations up to 11,000 feet. Geography has shaped their distributions, with endemic species in West Africa and the East African highlands. Honey guides play an ecological role preying on bees, nesting in cavities, and interacting with other species from woodpeckers to humans. Their unique habitat associations provide the resources these fascinating birds need to survive, from nest sites to bee prey.