NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Lesser Honeyguide
Indicator minor Stephens, 1815
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The 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.
Wikipedia contributors, Lesser honeyguide; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:31:29.618150+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Indicator minor Stephens, 1815
- Name authority
- Stephens, 1815
- Common name
- Lesser Honeyguide
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Indicatoridae
- Genus
- Indicator
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPiciformes
- familyIndicatoridae
- genusIndicator Stephens, 1815
- speciesIndicator minor Stephens, 1815
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Indicator. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Greater HoneyguideIndicator indicator (Sparrman, 1777) | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spotted HoneyguideIndicator maculatus G. R. Gray, 1847 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pallid HoneyguideIndicator meliphilus (Oberholser, 1905) | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dwarf HoneyguideIndicator pumilio Chapin, 1958 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scaly-throated HoneyguideIndicator variegatus R. Lesson, 1830 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-rumped HoneyguideIndicator xanthonotus Blyth, 1842 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Least HoneyguideIndicator exilis (Cassin, 1856) | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Malaysian HoneyguideIndicator archipelagicus Temminck, 1832 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thick-billed HoneyguideIndicator conirostris (Cassin, 1856) | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Willcocks's HoneyguideIndicator willcocksi Alexander, 1901 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=553934 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3PLPJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.