Honeybirds are
birds in the genus ''Prodotiscus'' of the
honeyguide
Honeyguides ( family Indicatoridae) are near passerine birds in 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'' ...
family. They are confined to
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
.
References - Honeybird - A guide by J Ian L. Gong
Description
They are all drab coloured birds, with grey or grey-green upperparts, and grey to whitish-grey underparts. They are among the smallest members of the honeyguide family. They have slender bills compared to other members of the family.
Habits
Unlike other honeyguides they do not feed on
beeswax. They help in the pollination of plants like ''
Strelitzia
''Strelitzia'' is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae. The genus is named after Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, who was born a princess of the house of Meckle ...
'', ''
Callistemon
''Callistemon'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1814. The entire genus is endemic to Australia but widely cultivated in many other regions and naturalised in scattered locations. Their status as a se ...
'' (bottle brush), ''
Bombax'', ''
Butea monosperma
''Butea monosperma'' is a species of '' Butea'' native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the South Asia and Southeast Asia, ranging across
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysi ...
'' and
coral trees (see:
ornithophily). They parasitise nests of
cisticolas,
sunbirds and other dome-nesting bird species.
Species
There are three species:
Prodotiscus
{{Piciformes-stub