Recreational honey-hunting with honeyguides in the Kingdom of Eswatini

In parts of Africa, people and greater honeyguide birds (<i>Indicator indicator</i>) cooperate to access bees' nests, from which humans harvest honey and honeyguides consume wax. We present the first study of human-honeyguide cooperation in the Kingdom of Eswatini, based on interviews with 83 honey-hunters and beekeepers, and observations of a honey-hunt. We investigated the current extent of honey-hunting with honeyguides, the associated cultural traditions, and the continuity of the practice. We found that honey-hunting with honeyguides is common in Eswatini, primarily as a recreational activity among young boys who herd cattle. Honey-hunters use various acoustic signals to communicate with honeyguides, such as an axe striking wood, verbal praises and whistles-including on hollowed fruit and plastic objects. They reward honeyguides with beeswax, brood and/or honey, fearing future encounters with dangerous animals if they do not. Skills are passed down by elders and spread among young cattle-herders through peer learning. Despite many honey-hunters reporting a decline due to increased education and job opportunities, and habitat loss, the practice is expected to continue. The largely recreational nature of honey-hunting with honeyguides in Eswatini suggests that this interspecies relationship can endure without economic incentives for humans, sustained instead by its cultural and social importance.-Please see <i>AfricanHoneyguides.com/abstract-translations</i> for a SiSwati translation of the abstract.