Honeyguide is any of a group of woodland birds from tropical regions of Africa and Asia. People call the birds honeyguides because some types lead people and other animals to bees’ nests.
Honeyguides probably do not eat honey themselves. Instead, they feed largely on the honeycombs and larvae of bees. They can survive on honeycomb wax alone for up to one month because of chemicals called enzymes in their stomach that break down the wax. The birds also rely partly on insects as a source of food.
The feathers of most honeyguides have dull coloring, usually green or brown. The birds grow 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) in length.
A female honeyguide lays several eggs at a time, but it does not care for the chicks. Instead, the female lays one or two eggs in the nest of another bird species. A newly hatched honeyguide chick has a unique feature that helps it compete for food. The baby bird has a temporary hook on the tip of its bill, which it uses to puncture the host bird’s eggs or to kill the host’s chicks. Once the bird leaves the nest, however, the host may recognize the honeyguide as an intruder and prevent it from returning to the nest. The young bird must then fend for itself.
In the past, many African peoples raised honeyguides to help them find honey. This practice has become rare today.
