NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Yellow-rumped Honeyguide
Indicator xanthonotus Blyth, 1842
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 yellow-rumped honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus) is a sparrow-sized bird in the honeyguide family that is found in Asia, mainly in montane forests along the Himalayas. They are very finch-like but the feet are strong and zygodactyl, with two toes facing forward and two backward. They perch on honeycombs and feed on wax. Males tend to be territorial and stay near honeycombs while females and juveniles forage widely. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of tree-hole breeders, possibly barbets.
Wikipedia contributors, Yellow-rumped honeyguide; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:01:27.717814+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Indicator xanthonotus Blyth, 1842
- Name authority
- Blyth, 1842
- Common name
- Yellow-rumped 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 xanthonotus Blyth, 1842
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 |
| Lesser HoneyguideIndicator minor Stephens, 1815 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dwarf HoneyguideIndicator pumilio Chapin, 1958 | IndicatoridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scaly-throated HoneyguideIndicator variegatus R. Lesson, 1830 | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Indicator xanthonotus fulvus Ripley, 1951 Ripley, 1951 | synonym |
| Indicator xanthonotus xanthonotus Blyth, 1842 Blyth, 1842 | synonym |
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=553940 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:3PLPN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.