honeyguide

noun

hon·ey·guide | \ ˈhə-nē-ˌgīd

How to pronounce honeyguide (audio)

\

Definition of honeyguide

: any of a family (Indicatoridae) of small plainly colored nonpasserine birds that inhabit Africa, the Himalayas, and the East Indies and that include some which lead people or animals to the nests of bees

Examples of honeyguide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Such brood parasitism has arisen independently at least three times, in the groups known as cuckoos, cowbirds and honeyguides. — The Economist, "Convergent evolutionThicker eggshells help cuckoos hatch earlier than their nestmates," 18 Jan. 2018 But for the clarity of reciprocity, nothing can match the relationship between honeyguide and honey hunter. — Natalie Angier, New York Times, "Sign Up for the Science Times Newsletter," 22 July 2016 When humans speak up, the little African birds called honeyguides listen—and can understand, a new study confirms for the first time. — National Geographic, "First Proof That Wild Animals Really Can Communicate With Us," 21 July 2016 Honeyguides excel at locating bees’ nests, but a bird that tries to steal some of the tasty reward could easily be stung to death. — National Geographic, "First Proof That Wild Animals Really Can Communicate With Us," 21 July 2016 He and Spottiswoode are now working together to explore how hunters elsewhere in Africa signal honeyguides. — National Geographic, "First Proof That Wild Animals Really Can Communicate With Us," 21 July 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'honeyguide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about honeyguide

Dictionary Entries near honeyguide

Statistics for honeyguide

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for honeyguide

The first known use of honeyguide was in 1777

See more words from the same year

Comments on honeyguide

What made you want to look up honeyguide? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

insuperable

incapable of being surmounted or overcome

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ