Wild birds ‘distinguish between calls made by different African tribes’ – study

Yao honey hunter Seliano Rucunua holding a male honeyguide in Mozambique (Claire Spottiswoode/University of Cambridge)

Humans can sweet-talk birds into helping them find honey but they need to know what type of call to make – be it a loud trill and a grunt or a melodic whistle.

Greater honeyguides – small brown birds found in Africa – engage in a two-way conversation with local honey-hunting tribespeople as part of a team effort to uncover where the best beehives are hidden.