Indicator (genus)
Encyclopedia
Indicator is a genus of near passerine
bird
s in the honeyguide
family. The name refers to the behaviour of some species, notably the Greater Honeyguide
, which guide large mammals such as ratel
s and humans to bee
colonies so that they can share in the spoils of wax and insects when the nest is broken into.
Indicator honeyguides are brood parasite
s which lay eggs
in a nest of another species, in a series of about five during five to seven days. Most favour hole-nesting species, often the related barbet
s and woodpecker
s. Nestlings have been known to physically eject their host's chicks from the nest, and they have hooks on their beaks with which they puncture the hosts' eggs or kill the nestlings, by repeated lacerations if not a fatal stab.
The species, in taxonomic order, are
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the honeyguide
Honeyguide
Honeyguides are near passerine bird species of the order Piciformes. They are also known as indicator birds, or honey birds, although the latter term is also used more narrowly to refer to species of the genus Prodotiscus. They have an Old World tropical distribution, with the greatest number of...
family. The name refers to the behaviour of some species, notably the Greater Honeyguide
Greater Honeyguide
The Greater Honeyguide is a bird in the family Indicatoridae, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers. Its English and scientific names refer to its habit of guiding people to bee colonies....
, which guide large mammals such as ratel
Ratel
The honey badger , also known as the ratel, is a species of mustelid native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Despite its name, the honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species, instead bearing more anatomical similarities to weasels...
s and humans to bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
colonies so that they can share in the spoils of wax and insects when the nest is broken into.
Indicator honeyguides are brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
s which lay eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
in a nest of another species, in a series of about five during five to seven days. Most favour hole-nesting species, often the related barbet
Barbet
American barbets, family Capitonidae, are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes which inhabit humid forests in Central and South America. They are closely related to the toucans....
s and woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s. Nestlings have been known to physically eject their host's chicks from the nest, and they have hooks on their beaks with which they puncture the hosts' eggs or kill the nestlings, by repeated lacerations if not a fatal stab.
The species, in taxonomic order, are
- Genus Indicator
- Spotted HoneyguideSpotted HoneyguideThe Spotted Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria,...
, Indicator maculatus - Scaly-throated HoneyguideScaly-throated HoneyguideThe Scaly-throated Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:* BirdLife...
, Indicator variegatus - Greater HoneyguideGreater HoneyguideThe Greater Honeyguide is a bird in the family Indicatoridae, paleotropical near passerine birds related to the woodpeckers. Its English and scientific names refer to its habit of guiding people to bee colonies....
, Indicator indicator - Malaysian HoneyguideMalaysian HoneyguideThe Malaysian Honeyguide, Indicator archipelagicus is a medium-sized, up to 18cm long, olive-brown honeyguide with greenish streaks, reddish iris, thick grey bill and greyish white below. The male has a yellow patch on the shoulder, while the female has none...
, Indicator archipelagicus - Lesser HoneyguideLesser HoneyguideThe Lesser Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia,...
, Indicator minor - Thick-billed HoneyguideThick-billed HoneyguideThe Thick-billed Honeyguide is a bird of the honeyguide family Indicatoridae. It has been reported interbreeding with the related Lesser Honeyguide and the two are sometimes treated as a single species....
, Indicator conirostris - Willcocks's HoneyguideWillcocks's HoneyguideThe Willcocks's Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and...
, Indicator willcocksi - Least HoneyguideLeast HoneyguideThe Least Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra...
, Indicator exilis - Dwarf HoneyguideDwarf HoneyguideThe Dwarf Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and possibly Burundi.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Indicator pumilio - Pallid HoneyguidePallid HoneyguideThe Pallid Honeyguide is a species of bird in the Indicatoridae family.It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.-References:...
, Indicator meliphilus - Yellow-rumped HoneyguideYellow-rumped HoneyguideThe Yellow-rumped Honeyguide is a sparrow-sized bird in the honeyguide family that is found in Asia, mainly in montane forests along the Himalayas. They are very finch-like but the feet are strong and the feet are zygodactyl, with two toes facing forward and two backward. They perch on honeycombs...
, Indicator xanthonotus