Distribution:  Widespread in sub-Sahara Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to Cape Town.  Widely distributed in Kenya and northern Tanzania, from sea level to over 8,000 feet.  Absent only from arid areas of northern and eastern Kenya.

Habitat:  Woodland, savannah, forest edge, thornscrub, tall bush, exotic plantations, orchards and farmyards.  It avoids forest, grassland and arid areas.

Food and Feeding Methods:  Mainly insects, including adult and larval bees, and also some beeswax. 

Behavior:  Usually solitary, resident.  Male has fixed call-sites or song posts, usually high in a tall tree, used year after year, sometimes for over 20 years.  Male sings for an extended period of time, usually when courting.  When calling, the male stretches his head upwards at an angle, holds wings slightly out and jerks tail at each WHIT note.  When perched, honeyguide appears as upright compact bird, the tail from below appearing white. Stolid and rather inactive, it often remains still for long periods before abruptly flying with rapid and sometimes undulating flight, flashing its white outer-tail feathers conspicuously.

In display, flight wings make voova-voova-voova  sound 3 to 4 times in quick succession as bird flies in circle, each double note accompanying flight undulation.  When sweeping upward, male produces a rustling or clapping sound with spread wings or tail and gives deep, vibrating bvoOOOmmm call.

Reproduction:  Female visits male at song post, where they mate.  A brood parasite, she lays eggs in nests of birds that breed in banks and holes in trees, such as bee-eaters, hoopoes, woodhoopoes, barbets, woodpeckers, kingfishers, etc.  Four to 8 eggs are laid in clutch, though only 1 egg is laid per host nest.  Eggs are white and about 1 x ¾ inches in size.  Female honeyguide may damage eggs of host nest when she lays her own by pecking at host eggs. Incubation is unrecorded.  Honeyguide nestling kills host young with bill hook at about 14 days.  Fledges after about 30 days and is fed by host birds for up to 10 days after leaving nest.

Status:  Widespread but sparse resident.

Adaptations:  Symbiotic relationship between the greater honeyguide and man is probably the most advanced bird/human relationship in the world.  This bird leads people, and probably honey badgers and baboons, to beehives because it has learned that these species raid beehives on their own.  When a honeyguide finds a person, it starts chattering persistently and fanning its tail to expose its white outer-tail feathers.  It perches and waits for the person to approach it, then flies on again, chattering all the time.  This procedure is repeated until the follower is near the beehive at which time, the honeyguide stops chattering and sits quietly, patiently waiting for the follower to find the hive and open it, sometimes for over an hour or 2.  Only after the follower goes away does the honeyguide eat its share.  Folklore dictates that having raided the hive, the follower must leave a reward of honey for the honeyguide to avoid back luck.  It’s unknown whether the honeyguide knows the location of a hive and then leads someone to it, or whether the bird first finds someone to lead and then searches for a hive.

A brood parasite, the greater honeyguide uses cavity-nesting birds to incubate and raise their own nestlings to the detriment of the host birds.  Sharp bill is used by female to break eggs of host bird and by nestling to kill young of host bird, ensuring its survival.

Length:      7 - 8 in.                                       Weight:      1 - 2 ¼ ounces

Honeyguide's Revenge

The Honeyguide would search for a human helper whenever he found a hive that was ready for harvest.  While Honeyguide did not care for the honey, he loved to eat the bee grubs and wax from the nest.  But poor Honeyguide was ill-equipped to get the food for himself.  He therefore relied upon a two-footed friend to pull down the nest.  "I remember what happened to Gingile, the greedy one, when he took all the honey for himself!"

There once was a greedy young man named Gingile.  He rarely shared with anyone, preferring to keep the meat from any of his kills to himself, hoarding every mealie pip (kernel of corn) that grew in his small garden.

One day while Gingile was out hunting he heard the call of Honeyguide.  Gingile's mouth began to water at the thought of the sweet treat.  He stopped and listened carefully, searching until he found the little fellow among the branches above his head.  "Chitik-chitik-chitik," the little bird rattled, like the sound of a matchbox shaken lengthwise.  When Honeyguide saw that he had an interested partner, he quickly began moving through the branches toward the nest.  "Chitik, chitik, chitik," he continued, stopping several times to be sure that Gingile followed.
After thirty minutes or so they reached a huge wild fig tree.  Honeyguide hopped about madly among the branches.  He then settled on one branch and cocked his head, looking at Gingile as if to say, "Here it is! Come now!  What is taking you so long?"  Gingile couldn't see anything from his place on the forest floor, but he knew Honeyguide's reputation for finding big, ripe nests flowing with sweet honey.  Gingile deposited his hunting tools at the foot of the tree.  He then gathered some dry twigs and made a small fire.  As soon as the flames were well established, Gingile put a long dry stick into the heart of the fire.   This wood was especially known to make lots of smoke while it burned.  As soon as he was sure it was properly burning, he began climbing, the cool end of the branch clamped in his mouth.

Soon he could hear the loud buzzing of the busy bees.  "Ah," he thought to himself, "I can almost smell the sweetness in the air.  How I love the taste of honey!"  When he reached the place of the hive he quickly thrust the burning, smoking end of the branch into the hollow.  The bees came rushing out, angry and mean.  When most of them were out, Gingile pushed his hands into the nest.  He took out handfuls of the heavy comb, dripping with rich honey and full of fat, white grubs.  He ignored the few stings he received, placing the comb carefully in the pouch he wore around his neck and chest.  When the nest was empty, Gingile slowly made his way back down the tree.

Honeyguide watched all of this activity with a great deal of anticipation.  He fidgeted nervously, waiting for the moment when Gingile would walk once again on the forest floor and leave, as was the custom, a fat piece of honeycomb as a thank-you offering to the Honeyguide.  Honeyguide loved the juicy larval bees and the waxy comb.  He flitted from branch to branch, closer and closer to the ground.  Finally Gingile reached the forest floor.  Honeyguide flew to a rocky perch near the man and patiently waited for his share.  But Gingile put out the fire, picked up his tools and started walking home, obviously ignoring the little bird.  Honeyguide chirped indignantly.  He flew before Gingile and landed on a rock in front of the hunter.  There he faced the man and crossly called in a high-pitched voice, "VIC-torr! VIC-torrr!"  Gingile stopped, stared at the little bird and laughed aloud.  "You want some of the spoils, do you, my friend?  Ha! Who did all the work and received all of the stings?  Why should I share any of this lovely honey with you, you little nothing?  Be off and find yourself another supper!"  And with a wave of his arm in dismissal, Gingile set off for his homestead.

Honeyguide was furious!  How dare this man break the long-time custom and refuse to show his gratitude!  But little Honeyguide was not powerless.  He would get his satisfaction!  Honeyguide waited and watched the man for several moons before he sought his revenge.
One day several weeks later Gingile again heard the call of the honeyguide.  Remembering how sweet and wonderful the last harvest had been, Gingile eagerly followed the little bird once again.

 After making his way around the edge of the forest, Honeyguide suddenly stopped his characteristic "Chitik-chitik-chitik," and came to rest in a great umbrella thorn.  "Ah," thought Gingile.  "The hive must be in this tree."  He quickly made his small fire and began his ascent, the smoldering branch in his teeth.  Honeyguide sat and watched.
Gingile climbed, wondering why he didn't hear the usual buzzing.  "Perhaps the nest is deep in the tree," he thought to himself.  He was concentrating on his climbing and daydreaming about the sweet taste of honey, when he found himself face-to-face with a leopard.  Poor leopard was taking her usual midday nap in her favorite tree, exhausted after a long night of hunting, when she was suddenly awakened by a scream.  Leopard was first startled and then angry at having her sleep so rudely interrupted.  She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to reveal her very large and very sharp teeth and took a quick swipe at the man, raking her claws across his forehead.

 Gingile rushed down the tree, half-falling.  He landed with a heavy thud on the ground, breaking several of his bones.  Lucky for him that Leopard was still so tired or she might have decided to pursue the man.  Nevertheless Gingile departed as fast as his broken bones would allow him.  And he wore the scars of Leopard on his forehead the rest of his life.

Honeyguide had his revenge, and Gingile never followed a Honeyguide again.  But the children of Gingile, and the children of the children of Gingile, heard the story of Honeyguide and had respect for the little bird.  Whenever they harvest honey, they are sure to leave the biggest part of the comb with the juiciest grubs for Honeyguide!