Yellow-rumped Honeyguide

A chipping call is produced in flight and when agitated. The flight is straight (may sometimes be undulating) and direct, sometimes in flocks of 20 to 30 birds. At deserted honeycombs, the bird clings tight and presses its tail on the surface of the comb. They feed mainly on the foundation wax of Apis laboriosa that attach the comb to rocks. They feed on active beehives without disturbing the bees much. They have been observed to make use of the attacks of Vespa mandarinia on Apis laboriosa colonies. A display of a male involved fluffing its feathers, holding the bill high and flicking wings while swaying from side to side. A female was observed flicking its tail and pressing it down with wings drooped before being mounted by a male. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nest of host species. The host species for the yellow-rumped honeyguide are as yet unknown and undocumented. Young birds of honeyguide species have bill-hooks with which they destroy the eggs and chicks of the host. The male holds territories around hives and are polygynous, allowing females with whom it had mated and their young into the territories. This mating system has been termed as "resource-based non-harem polygyny". Unlike other honeyguides, this species has not been observed to lead humans and bears to bee hives.

The species has been recorded from northern Pakistan (Hazara and Murree Hills) but the population here may have been extirpated and then in the Himalayan regions of India from western Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh extending into Nepal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan (where it is relatively common). It is also found in southeastern Tibet and northern Myanmar. It is found in coniferous and dry-deciduous forest with rocky boulders and cliffs. May make altitudinal movements seasonally.