honey guide
or hon·ey·guide
any of several small, usually dull-colored birds of the family Indicatoridae, of Africa and southern Asia, certain species of which are noted for their habit of leading people or animals to nests of honeybees in order to feed on the honey, larvae, and wax of the nests after they have been broken open.
Origin of honey guide
1Words Nearby honey guide
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How to use honey guide in a sentence
Two men who accompanied our guide called out every now and then to attract the attention of the honey-guide, but none appeared.
We remained near a small hill, called Maundo, where we began to be frequently invited by the honey-guide ('Cuculus indicator').
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa | David LivingstoneAgain abundance of honey was obtained through the means of the “honey guide.”
Great African Travellers | W.H.G. KingstonIt is as follows:—In Africa there is a bird—a species of cuckoo—known as the Indicator bird, or honey guide.
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found | Mayne ReidAll leaped to their feet, therefore, with the determination to follow the “honey-guide,” go where it would.
The Young Yagers | Mayne Reid
British Dictionary definitions for honey guide
any small bird of the family Indicatoridae, inhabiting tropical forests of Africa and Asia and feeding on beeswax, honey, and insects: order Piciformes (woodpeckers, etc)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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