Humans and Birds Make A Winning Honey-Hunting Team
Move over dogs– man has a new best friend. Honeyguides, a species of bird in sub-Saharan Africa, seek out the help of humans to take down bees’ nests by singing a special call; humans can also invoke the help of honeyguide with special calls. The collaboration is beneficial for both parties– humans take the honey and the honeyguides eat the wax–, which is a rare instance of wild, non-domesticated animals working freely with humans (the birds find the nest, but cannot risk venturing in without getting stung, and humans have the means of using smoke to subdue bees, but not always the instincts to find the hives).
