One of Bhutan’s most sought after birds among the world birding community is the Yellow-rumped Honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus). It is a small and pretty bird that is most often seen around colonies of beehives. It is called Yellow-rumped because it has a patch of yellow on its rump.
Yellow-rumped Honeyguide
Most believe that this bird feeds on honey. That is not true. It feeds on wax of the honeycombs. How it got its name is because some species of the Honeyguides (not those in Asia) has this uncanny ability to draw humans and bears to live beehives. Once the beehive is raided and honey taken out, the birds then feed on the wax.
These birds most often perch on plundered beehives, as you can see from the above image. These birds are brood parasites – given to laying their eggs in other birds’ nests mostly tree-hole breeders such as Barbets.
The above image was taken in Chaplechhu in Zhemgang. But I have a whole bunch of images acquired from Khaling, Trashigang.
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