biology

Indicator (genus)

Indicator (genus) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Indicator (genus) rather than just read about it. In short: Indicator is a genus of birds in the honeyguide family Indicatoridae. The name refers to the behaviour of some species, notably the greater honeyguide, which guide humans to bee colonies so that they can share in the spoils of wax and insects when the nest is broken into.

Key takeaways

Indicator (genus) belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Indicator (genus) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Indicator (genus) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Indicator is a genus of birds in the honeyguide family Indicatoridae. The name refers to the behaviour of some species, notably the greater honeyguide, which guide humans to bee colonies so that they can share in the spoils of wax and insects when the nest is broken into. Indicator honeyguides are brood parasites which lay eggs in a nest of another species, in a series of about five during five to seven days. Most favour hole-nesting species, often the related barbets and woodpeckers. Nestlings have been known to physically eject their host's chicks from the nest, and they have hooks on their beaks with which they puncture the hosts' eggs or kill the nestlings, by repeated lacerations if not a fatal stab.

Taxonomy The genus Indicator was introduced in 1815 by the English naturalist James Francis Stephens with the type species, by tautonymy, as Indicator sparrmanii Stephens, a junior synonym of Cuculus indicator Sparrman, the greater honeyguide. The genus name is from Latin indicator, indicatoris meaning "guide" or "one that points out".

Species The genus contains ten species:

References

Barlow, Clive; Tim Wacher & Tony Disley (1997). A Field Guide to the Birds of the Gambia and Senegal. A. & C. Black (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 1-873403-32-1.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Indicator (genus)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Indicator (genus) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Indicator (genus) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Indicator (genus) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Indicator (genus)

In research: Indicator (genus) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Indicator (genus) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Indicator (genus) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird genera, Honeyguides, Indicator (genus), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Indicator (genus) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Indicator (genus) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Indicator (genus) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Indicator (genus) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indicator (genus) in simple terms?

Why does Indicator (genus) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Indicator (genus)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Indicator (genus).