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 →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Honeyguide sighting in Samburu National Reserve, based on 35 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Samburu National Reserve
Lesser Honeyguide
Indicator minor
Wahlberg's Honeyguide
Prodotiscus regulus
Nubian Woodpecker
Campethera nubica
Red-and-yellow Barbet
Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
D'Arnaud's Barbet
Trachyphonus darnaudii
Cardinal Woodpecker
Dendropicos fuscescens
Black-throated Barbet
Tricholaema melanocephala
Bearded Woodpecker
Chloropicus namaquus
Red-fronted Barbet
Tricholaema diademata
Eastern Grey Woodpecker
Dendropicos spodocephalus
African Grey Woodpecker
Dendropicos goertae
📅 Monthly Probability
🌙 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
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Greater Honeyguide in Samburu National Reserve?
About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Honeyguide sighting in Samburu National Reserve, based on 35 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Greater Honeyguide in Samburu National Reserve?
September has the highest sighting rate for Greater Honeyguide in Samburu National Reserve in our monthly data.