Greater Honeyguide
Indicator indicator
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
- FamilyIndicatoridae (Honeyguides)
- GenusIndicator (Typical Honeyguides)
- SpeciesIndicator indicator (Greater Honeyguide)
The greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator) 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. Claims that it also guides non-human animals are disputed. The greater honeyguide is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa. It lives in a variety of habitats with trees, especially dry open woodland, but not in the West African rain forest. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Amboseli National Park
Lesser Honeyguide
Indicator minor
Pallid Honeyguide
Indicator meliphilus
Wahlberg's Honeyguide
Prodotiscus regulus
D'Arnaud's Barbet
Trachyphonus darnaudii
Cardinal Woodpecker
Dendropicos fuscescens
Nubian Woodpecker
Campethera nubica
Eastern Grey Woodpecker
Dendropicos spodocephalus
Red-and-yellow Barbet
Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
Bearded Woodpecker
Chloropicus namaquus
Black-throated Barbet
Tricholaema melanocephala
Spot-flanked Barbet
Tricholaema lacrymosa
Red-fronted Barbet
Tricholaema diademata
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Greater Honeyguide at Amboseli National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
🌙 When They're Spotted
Most active during nighttime hours (6pm–6am) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there