noun
1. : any of several small plainly colored nonpasserine birds of the family Indicatoridae especially of the genera Indicator and Prodotiscus that inhabit Africa, the Himalayas, and the East Indies and include some that lead men or lower animals to the nests of bees — compare barbet
2. : a spot or stripe of a different color from the rest of the corolla that is found on the petals of many flowers and is assumed to act as a guide to insects in their quest of nectar