Cassin's honeybird, also known as Cassin's honeyguide, is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae.
Region
West and Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland and foothill forests, forest edges, secondary woodland, and gallery forests. It frequents tall woodland, clearings with scattered trees, and plantations with flowering trees such as cocoa and coffee. Most foraging is in the mid to upper canopy where it gleans quietly among foliage. It may join mixed-species flocks and also uses riverine thickets and wooded savannas near forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Cassin's honeybird, also called Cassin's honeyguide, is a small African brood parasite in the family Indicatoridae. Unlike the greater honeyguide, it does not typically lead people to bee nests and feeds mainly on insects in the forest canopy. It lays its eggs in the nests of small passerines, especially sunbirds, leaving the hosts to raise its young. Its thin, high-pitched calls often reveal its presence before it is seen.
Temperament
secretive and inconspicuous
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, foraging quietly in the canopy and at forest edges. It is an obligate brood parasite, laying eggs in the nests of small passerines (often sunbirds), and does not build its own nest. Courtship is subtle, and birds may follow mixed-species flocks while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is a series of thin, high-pitched tsee or seee notes, sometimes delivered in short, rapid sequences. Calls can be easily overlooked against insect noise but carry well in the canopy.
Plumage
Plain olive-brown to grey-brown above with whitish underparts and faint streaking on the throat and breast; outer tail feathers narrowly edged pale.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and flies, as well as spiders. It gleans prey from leaves and twigs and occasionally sallies to catch flying insects. It sometimes takes nectar at flowering trees and may consume small berries or plant exudates.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid to upper canopy of forest, edges, and tall secondary growth. Frequently visits flowering trees and edges of clearings and plantations. Often follows mixed-species flocks where prey is flushed.
