Lesser Honeyguide
Photo © Rudolph Steenkamp
Photo © Rudolph Steenkamp — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist photo #262400469The lesser honeyguide (Indicator minor) is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae that is widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa. Like other honeyguides, it is a brood parasite that lays eggs most commonly in the nests of African barbets, but will also occasionally use the nests of other birds as well, such as starlings and woodpeckers. == Taxonomy == The lesser honeyguide was formally described in 1815 by the English naturalist James Francis Stephens under the binomial name Indicator minor. Stephens based his account on "Le petit indicator" that had been described and illustrated in 1806 by the French naturalist François Levaillant based on specimens collected near the Swartkops River in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Eight subspecies are recognised: I. m. conirostris (Cassin, 1856) – Nigeria to west Kenya, DR Congo and west Angola I. m. senegalensis Neumann, 1908 – Senegal and Gambia to north Cameroon, Chad and west Sudan I. m. riggenbachi Zedlitz, 1915 – central Cameroon to southwest Sudan and west Uganda I. m. diadematus Rüppell, 1837 – central Sudan, Ethiopia and north Somalia I. m. teitensis Neumann, 1900 – southeast Sudan and Somalia to Zimbabwe and central Mozambique I. m. damarensis (Roberts, 1928)…
Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
+558 birds+57 mammals
Across Tanzania's northern plateau, where volcanic soils meet acacia woodland and open grassland, unfolds one of Earth's most dynamic ecosystems. The Serengeti National Park sprawls across…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKArusha National Park
Tanzania
+555 birds+16 mammals
Where the slopes of Mount Mawenzi rise above the Arusha region, a compact yet ecologically rich national park unfolds across montane forest, moorland, and alpine zones.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMapungubwe National Park
Musina Local Municipality, South Africa
+358 birds+29 mammals
Where the Limpopo River cuts through sandstone ridges at the convergence of South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, Mapungubwe National Park preserves a landscape of profound ecological…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVirunga National Park
Uganda
+418 birds+13 mammals
Where the Western Rift Valley fractures the landscape of North Kivu, Virunga National Park sprawls across terrain as geologically dramatic as it is ecologically vital. Volcanic…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBwindi Impenetrable National Park
Kanyashogi, Uganda
+603 birds+26 mammals
Steep ridges cloaked in montane forest rise from Uganda's southwestern borderlands, where the landscape grows so dense and tangled that early explorers named it impenetrable. At…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKidepo Valley National Park
Uganda
+478 birds+24 mammals
Where the Narus and Kidepo rivers carve through northeastern Uganda's semi-arid lowlands, a landscape of sparse acacia woodland, grassland, and riverine thickets creates one of East…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMurchison Falls National Park
Uganda
+608 birds+33 mammals
Where the Victoria Nile compresses through a narrow gorge and explodes across a 45-meter precipice, the landscape speaks in thunder. Murchison Falls National Park sprawls across…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMgahinga Gorilla National Park
Cyanika, Uganda
+429 birds+6 mammals
Where the Virunga Mountains rise steeply from the Uganda–Rwanda–Democratic Republic of Congo frontier, montane forest cloaks the volcanic slopes in a dense, moisture-laden embrace. Mgahinga Gorilla…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLake Mburo National Park
Uganda
+505 birds+24 mammals
Rolling acacia woodland and scattered lakes define this intimate savanna preserve in southwestern Uganda, where the rift valley's geological drama shapes every water source and grassland.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTsavo East National Park
Athi ward, Kenya
+468 birds+50 mammals
Across the semi-arid lowlands of southeastern Kenya, where acacia woodland fragments into scrubland and the landscape rolls toward the Indian Ocean horizon, lies one of Africa's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTsavo West National Park
Mwatate, Kenya
+513 birds+49 mammals
Where volcanic ridges and weathered lava flows meet the semi-arid lowlands of south-central Kenya, Tsavo West National Park unfolds across a landscape sculpted by fire and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMount Elgon National Park
Matumbei ward, Kenya
+164 birds+7 mammals
Where the volcanic slopes of Mount Elgon rise above the Trans-Nzoia landscape, a montane wilderness unfolds across multiple ecological zones, each harbouring distinct communities adapted to…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAmboseli National Park
Etonet/Lenkism ward, Kenya
+501 birds+43 mammals
Where the Amboseli basin opens toward the Tanzanian frontier, a shallow alkaline lake mirrors vast skies across one of East Africa's most iconic savanna landscapes. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKilimanjaro National Park
Kenya
+207 birds+16 mammals
Africa's highest mountain rises not in isolation but as the centerpiece of a vast national park that sweeps across the borderlands of northern Tanzania, where savanna…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMount-Kenya National Park
Abothuguchi west ward, Kenya
+334 birds+11 mammals
Where the slopes of Kenya's second-highest mountain rise steeply from the Meru County foothills, a landscape of profound ecological richness unfolds across Mount Kenya National Park.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTarangire National Park
Tanzania
+527 birds+50 mammals
Acacia woodland and grassland sweep across the Manyara Region where the Tarangire River carves through low hills and volcanic soils, creating one of East Africa's most…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNgorongoro Conservation Area
Tanzania
+626 birds+55 mammals
Volcanic calderas and open grassland dominate this high plateau in northern Tanzania, where the landscape rises above 2,000 metres and ancient geological forces have shaped both…
VIEW WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAToro-Semliki Proposed National Park
Uganda
+474 birds+5 mammals
Where the Albertine Rift's western escarpment rises above the Semliki River valley, a vast mosaic of forest, savanna and wetland converges to create one of East…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKQueen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda
+672 birds+30 mammals
Across the southwestern escarpment of Uganda, where the Western Rift Valley descends through ancient volcanic terrain, Queen Elizabeth National Park sprawls across more than 8,300 square…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMabamba Swamp
Memere, Uganda
+464 birds+2 mammals
Across the Central Region of Uganda spreads one of Africa's most biodiverse freshwater wetlands, a sprawling nature reserve of roughly 283 square kilometres where papyrus swamps…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEGarden Route National Park
George, South Africa
+353 birds+54 mammals
Sweeping across the Western Cape's coastal and mountainous terrain, this sprawling national park encompasses over five thousand square kilometers of extraordinarily diverse landscape—from coastal limestone cliffs…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMokala National Park
Siyancuma Local Municipality, South Africa
+246 birds+35 mammals
Across the semi-arid savanna of the Northern Cape, where red earth meets sparse acacia woodland and open grassland punctuated by rocky outcrops, lies a landscape shaped…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCederberg Wilderness Area
Cederberg Local Municipality, South Africa
+136 birds+12 mammals
Where ancient sandstone ridges rise dramatically from the semi-arid lowlands of Western Cape, the Cederberg Wilderness Area spreads across nearly 1,700 square kilometres of some of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKruger National Park
Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, South Africa
+540 birds+91 mammals
Across the low-lying savanna of northeastern South Africa unfolds one of Africa's largest and most ecologically intact protected areas, where acacia woodlands merge into mopane scrub…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAgulhas National Park
Cape Agulhas Local Municipality, South Africa
+224 birds+13 mammals
Where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet at Africa's southernmost tip, Agulhas National Park stretches across 892 square kilometres of windswept coastal landscape and rugged limestone…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTankwa-Karoo National Park
Hantam Local Municipality, South Africa
+201 birds+20 mammals
Across the semi-arid heartland of the Northern Cape, where winter rains carve ephemeral watercourses through endless ochre plains, Tankwa-Karoo National Park sprawls across more than 3,100…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMountain Zebra National Park
Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, South Africa
+265 birds+35 mammals
Across the windswept plateaus and deeply incised valleys of the Eastern Cape's interior, Mountain Zebra National Park unfolds as a landscape of geological drama and ecological…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBontebok National Park
Swellendam Local Municipality, South Africa
+204 birds+11 mammals
Where the Cape Fold Mountains give way to coastal lowlands, a landscape of rolling sandstone hills and fynbos heathland creates one of South Africa's most compact…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAugrabies Falls National Park
Kai !Garib Local Municipality, South Africa
+176 birds+20 mammals
Where the Orange River cuts a dramatic scar through the Northern Cape's arid interior, Augrabies Falls National Park sprawls across nearly 1,200 square kilometers of raw,…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAddo Elephant National Park
Sundays River Valley Local Municipality, South Africa
+388 birds+55 mammals
Where the Eastern Cape's semi-arid scrublands meet transitional woodland, Addo sprawls across 13,478 square kilometres of one of southern Africa's most biodiverse landscapes. The terrain rises…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKIthala Game Reserve
uPhongolo Local Municipality, South Africa
+328 birds+26 mammals
Rolling thornbush savanna and acacia woodland dominate the landscape of this 494-square-kilometre national park in KwaZulu-Natal's uPhongolo Local Municipality, where granite outcrops punctuate grassland plateaus and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMarakele National Park
Modimolle Local Municipality, South Africa
+341 birds+36 mammals
Granite ridges and sprawling grasslands dominate this 1,176-square-kilometre reserve in Limpopo's heartland, where bushveld transitions between rocky outcrops and open savanna. The park's rugged topography creates…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCamdeboo National Park
Camdeboo Local Municipality, South Africa
+272 birds+24 mammals
Granite ridges and weathered sandstone cliffs rise across a semi-arid landscape where the Karoo transitions into the eastern escarpment of South Africa, creating Camdeboo National Park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKZiwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch
Nakasongola, Uganda
+359 birds+11 mammals
Where papyrus wetlands merge into sprawling savanna, Uganda's central landscape opens into one of East Africa's most vital rhino recovery zones. Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNamib-Naukluft National Park
Namibia
+217 birds+33 mammals
Across nearly 94,000 square kilometers of southwestern Namibia, a landscape of extremes unfolds where towering sand dunes meet rugged mountain ranges, and ancient riverbeds carve through…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNkasa Rupara National Park
Namibia
+283 birds+17 mammals
Where the Zambezi's floodplains spill across the border between Namibia and Botswana, Nkasa Rupara National Park unfolds across 518 square kilometers of wetland and woodland mosaic.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBwabwata National Park
Namibia
+377 birds+35 mammals
Where the Kavango River winds through northeastern Namibia, vast floodplains and dense riparian woodland create one of southern Africa's most ecologically dynamic protected landscapes. Spanning 14,249…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKEtosha National Park
Namibia
+356 birds+58 mammals
Across northern Namibia's stark semi-arid plateau, a vast shallow depression transforms seasonally into one of Africa's most dramatic wildlife theaters. Etosha National Park, encompassing more than…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWaterberg Plateau National Park
Okambukonde, Namibia
+198 birds+27 mammals
Where ancient sandstone cliffs rise 200 metres above the surrounding bushveld, a fortress of geology creates one of southern Africa's most compelling ecosystems. The plateau's steep…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAbijata-Shalla Lakes National Park
Ethiopia
+438 birds+7 mammals
Two crater lakes of contrasting chemistry define this remote corner of Ethiopia's Rift Valley, where soda lakes and freshwater basins create a mosaic of distinct aquatic…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBale Mountains National Park
Ethiopia
+397 birds+20 mammals
Where the Ethiopian highlands rise above 4,000 metres, the Bale Mountains create a landscape of stunning ecological extremes—from afroalpine grasslands swept by wind and mist to…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAwash National Park
Didiga, Ethiopia
+473 birds+23 mammals
Where the Ethiopian Rift Valley carves through volcanic plateaus, a ribbon of riverine forest winds through acacia scrubland and grassland, creating a mosaic of habitats that…
VIEW NATURAL PARKYabelo Wildlife Sanctuary
Bedewera, Ethiopia
+359 birds+5 mammals
Where acacia woodlands meet volcanic plateaus in southern Ethiopia, a landscape of austere beauty unfolds across nearly 2,500 square kilometers. Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary sprawls across semi-arid…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNairobi National Park
Nairobi, Kenya
+515 birds+35 mammals
Just minutes from Kenya's capital, where the Nairobi River winds through acacia woodland and open grassland, lies one of Africa's most paradoxical wildlife sanctuaries. The park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLake Nakuru National Park
Nakuru West, Kenya
+494 birds+32 mammals
Alkaline waters ringed by acacia woodland and grassland create one of East Africa's most distinctive wetland ecosystems, where the interplay of geology and climate sustains a…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAberdare National Park
Mweiga ward, Kenya
+394 birds+30 mammals
Where the central highlands of Kenya rise to their elemental grandeur, the Aberdare range unfolds across Nyeri County as a montane stronghold of cool, misty forest…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMeru National Park
Igembe Central, Kenya
+408 birds+38 mammals
Granite outcrops and acacia woodland rise across the northern reaches of Meru, where semi-arid savanna transitions into drier scrubland under the fierce equatorial sun. The park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSamburu National Reserve
Samburu, Kenya
+430 birds+42 mammals
Across the arid plains of northern Kenya, where scattered acacia woodland gives way to rocky outcrops and dry riverbeds, Samburu National Park unfolds as one of…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEHell’s Gate National Park
Olkaria ward, Kenya
+388 birds+18 mammals
Volcanic scarps and geothermal vents dominate the floor of Hell's Gate, where the East African Rift has carved a dramatic gorge through crystalline rock formations. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSaiwa Swamp National Park
Sinyerere ward, Kenya
+255 birds+4 mammals
Where papyrus and sedge marshes stretch across a highland plateau in western Kenya, Saiwa Swamp National Park shelters one of East Africa's most productive freshwater wetland…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKChyulu Hills National Park
Kibwezi East, Kenya
+232 birds+30 mammals
Volcanic cones rise abruptly from the Kenyan savanna floor, their flanks clothed in dense acacia woodland and grassland that transforms the Chyulu Hills into an ecological…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKArabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve
Kilifi, Kenya
+383 birds+29 mammals
Coastal forest rises from the Indian Ocean plains of Kilifi County, where sandy soils and seasonal rainfall have sculpted a woodland ecosystem unlike anywhere else on…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEWatamu Marine National Park
Dabaso ward, Kenya
+328 birds+12 mammals
Where mangrove channels meet coral gardens and sandy shallows blend into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, Watamu Marine National Park unfolds across the Kilifi…
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