Zenker's honeyguide is a species of bird in the family Indicatoridae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Uganda.
Region
Congo Basin and West-Central Africa
Typical Environment
It inhabits lowland tropical evergreen forests across Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and reaches into western Uganda. It favors primary and mature secondary forest, often near forest edges, riverine corridors, and old shade plantations that retain large trees. The species typically forages in the midstory to canopy, where it gleans insects and investigates bee and wasp nests. It is patchily distributed but can be locally fairly common where intact forest persists.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Zenker's honeyguide is a small forest honeyguide of Central Africa that specializes in bee and wasp products, including larvae and wax. Like other honeyguides, it is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other small passerines. Unlike the Greater Honeyguide, it is not known to guide humans to wild beehives. It can be inconspicuous, spending much of its time in the midstory and canopy of dense rainforest.
Temperament
solitary and inconspicuous
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides between perches
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs in the forest midstory. It is a brood parasite, depositing eggs in the nests of small forest passerines (such as bulbuls and other canopy insectivores), leaving hosts to raise its young. Nesting behavior is therefore closely tied to availability and timing of host species’ breeding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives thin, high-pitched whistles and short trills, often repeated from a concealed perch. Vocalizations carry through the forest but can be easily overlooked among other canopy sounds.
Plumage
Small, olive-tinged honeyguide with clean, paler underparts and subtly streaked or washed throat; tail shows pale or whitish edges/tips. Overall smooth, greenish-olive upperparts with a neat, unpatterned look.
Diet
Feeds mainly on bee and wasp larvae, pupae, and adults, and will consume beeswax and other hive products. It also takes other small insects and their larvae gleaned from foliage, bark, and dead wood. Occasionally sallies to catch flying insects near the canopy. It investigates natural and abandoned hives and comb fragments.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the midstory and canopy of mature lowland rainforest and well-wooded secondary growth. Often near clearings, forest edges, and along rivers where insect activity is concentrated.
