The Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator is well respected in Zimbabwean folklore and I found it familiar to most people interviewed.
This species regularly attracts people (and possibly honey badgers) to beehives by uttering an excited chattering call, which can be likened to that of an excited squirrel. By following this bird one may be led to a hive full of honey. As the bird feeds largely on bee larvae and beeswax, but has no physical means of acquiring these, it must rely on such a symbiotic relationship to access honeycombs. Surrounding this is the ubiquitous belief that ‘fair play’ must be observed and that bad luck will befall a person who is guided to a hive, but fails to leave a portion of the spoils for the bird. It is also believed by some that if one chooses to follow a honeyguide, it is a ‘game of chance’ as the bird may lead a person to honey, or conversely to a dangerous animal such as a snake or lion. A variation on this belief, related to me by people of both Manyika and Shangaan origin, is that the bird could possibly also lead one to the locality of a human corpse.
Local names for the Greater Honeyguide in Zimbabwe:
Shezhu, Mukaranga, Tsoro, Tsare – Shona (All dialects)
iNsedlu, iMlezu – Ndebele/Kalanga
Tshetlo – Venda/Sotho
Hlalala – Shangaan
Nsolo – baTonga
Information for this section was obtained from interviews with contributors as well as various other popular sources.
Similar beliefs surrounding the Greater Honeyguide are shared across Southern and East Africa.
Additional Reference:
Cocker, M & Tipling, D. (2013). Birds and People, Jonathan Cape, London, England.
For more information on this species visit:
Birdlore 