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The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us about How to Live Well with the Rest of Life
How rethinking our relationships with other species can help us reimagine the future of humankind
In the woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, sometime deep in our species’ past, something strange a bird called out, not to warn others of human presence, but to call attention to herself. Having found a beehive, that bird—a honeyguide—sought human aid to break in. The behavior can seem almost How would a bird come to think that people could help her? Isn’t life simply bloodier than that?
As Rob Dunn argues in The Call of the Honeyguide, it isn’t. Nature is red in tooth and claw, but in equal measure, life works together. Cells host even smaller life, wrapped in a web of mutual interdependence. Ants might go to war, but they also tend fungi, aphids, and even trees. And we humans work not just with honeyguides but with yeast, crops, and pets. Ecologists call these beneficial relationships mutualisms. And they might be the most important forces in the evolution of life.
We humans often act as though we are all alone, independent from the rest of life. As The Call of the Honeyguide shows, we are not. It is a call to action for a more beneficent, less lonely future.
In the woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, sometime deep in our species’ past, something strange a bird called out, not to warn others of human presence, but to call attention to herself. Having found a beehive, that bird—a honeyguide—sought human aid to break in. The behavior can seem almost How would a bird come to think that people could help her? Isn’t life simply bloodier than that?
As Rob Dunn argues in The Call of the Honeyguide, it isn’t. Nature is red in tooth and claw, but in equal measure, life works together. Cells host even smaller life, wrapped in a web of mutual interdependence. Ants might go to war, but they also tend fungi, aphids, and even trees. And we humans work not just with honeyguides but with yeast, crops, and pets. Ecologists call these beneficial relationships mutualisms. And they might be the most important forces in the evolution of life.
We humans often act as though we are all alone, independent from the rest of life. As The Call of the Honeyguide shows, we are not. It is a call to action for a more beneficent, less lonely future.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 26, 2025
16 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
About the author
Rob Dunn
17 books140 followersRobert Dunn is a biologist, writer and professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University.
He has written several books and his science essays have appeared at magazines such as BBC Wildlife Magazine, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic and others. He has become known for efforts to involve the public as citizen scientists.
Dunn's writings have considered the quest to find new superheavy elements, why men are bald, how modern chickens evolved, whether a virus can make a person fat, the beauty of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the biology of insect eggs, the secret lives of cats, the theory of ecological medicine, why the way we think about calories is wrong, and why monkeys (and once upon a time, human women) tend to give birth at night.
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolution, University of Connecticut (2003). He was a Fulbright fellow in Australia. He is currently the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor at NC State University.
{more at Wikipedia}
He has written several books and his science essays have appeared at magazines such as BBC Wildlife Magazine, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic and others. He has become known for efforts to involve the public as citizen scientists.
Dunn's writings have considered the quest to find new superheavy elements, why men are bald, how modern chickens evolved, whether a virus can make a person fat, the beauty of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the biology of insect eggs, the secret lives of cats, the theory of ecological medicine, why the way we think about calories is wrong, and why monkeys (and once upon a time, human women) tend to give birth at night.
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolution, University of Connecticut (2003). He was a Fulbright fellow in Australia. He is currently the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor at NC State University.
{more at Wikipedia}
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 31, 2025
I was thrilled to find this book to review on Netgalley, as mutualisms is a subject of interest to me. I like the idea of how different organisms have bonded and used each other in ways that are of mutual benefit to both parties. The first mutualism of note being prokaryotic cells that formed symbiotic relationships to become eukaryotic cells. There are others here, like the killer whales who helped humans with their fishing in exchange for their favorite bits of food, and the honeyguide bird that leads humans to honey so the humans can smoke out the bees and make it safe for the bird to eat what’s left behind. Of course, there are other examples that don’t involve humans, like the bacteria in a termite’s stomach that benefit from helping termites digest wood.
I was impressed with all the first-hand knowledge the author had of the subjects, but that was also a detriment because he often forgot to introduce them. For example, he started talking about honeyguides like I already knew that they were birds (I didn’t). Also, there were some subjects that I already knew about and felt that he glossed over some of the more interesting bits I would have included, with a tendency to meander into other subjects before fully exploring an idea. But overall, it was an enjoyable and informative read. I think it’s pie-in-th-sky optimistic to think that seeing mutualisms in nature could make humans become better, but I guess if you’re going to have a thesis, you might as well hope the best for humanity, even if we’re being quite self-centered at the moment. Then again, nature’s mutualisms pretty much started out being centered on what’s in it for me rather than what’s in it for the other partner.
Overall, despite my gripes, it’s a book worth reading. If the idea of it appeals to you at all, give it a try.
I was impressed with all the first-hand knowledge the author had of the subjects, but that was also a detriment because he often forgot to introduce them. For example, he started talking about honeyguides like I already knew that they were birds (I didn’t). Also, there were some subjects that I already knew about and felt that he glossed over some of the more interesting bits I would have included, with a tendency to meander into other subjects before fully exploring an idea. But overall, it was an enjoyable and informative read. I think it’s pie-in-th-sky optimistic to think that seeing mutualisms in nature could make humans become better, but I guess if you’re going to have a thesis, you might as well hope the best for humanity, even if we’re being quite self-centered at the moment. Then again, nature’s mutualisms pretty much started out being centered on what’s in it for me rather than what’s in it for the other partner.
Overall, despite my gripes, it’s a book worth reading. If the idea of it appeals to you at all, give it a try.
Want to read
September 4, 2025Nice review at the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/bo...
Excerpt:
"Dunn’s quirky humor and love of the obscure energize his academic questioning. In fascinating asides, he offers examples of purely nonhuman mutualisms: ants that tend orchards; mites that ride on ants’ heads and beg for food like “toy poodles.”
I've had good luck with Dunn's previous books. In particular, I would draw your attention to his "Never Home Alone: (2019). My 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Excerpt:
"Dunn’s quirky humor and love of the obscure energize his academic questioning. In fascinating asides, he offers examples of purely nonhuman mutualisms: ants that tend orchards; mites that ride on ants’ heads and beg for food like “toy poodles.”
I've had good luck with Dunn's previous books. In particular, I would draw your attention to his "Never Home Alone: (2019). My 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 14, 2025
Rob Dunn's The Call of the Honeyguide is an incredibly informed look at mutualisms with the natural environment, many of the examples explored are related to humans and our part in the relationship. Dunn artfully weaves storytelling and science education in an easily digestible way that educates the reader on the natural world and our relationships with other living organisms. The author starts off discussing our mutually beneficial relationship with honeyguides, which flows into a variety of other topics from bacteria and fungi, to Killer Whales, wolves, and beavers.
The author is obviously very knowledgeable about the topic and does a great job of exploring the history and providing practical applications of mutualism that apply to everyday life or have lead us to a certain place in time. It was an enjoyable and interesting read. I imagine it may not appeal to those interested in deep-in-the-weeds science.
Thank you to NetGalley and Basic Books for providing this ARC for my unbiased review.
The author is obviously very knowledgeable about the topic and does a great job of exploring the history and providing practical applications of mutualism that apply to everyday life or have lead us to a certain place in time. It was an enjoyable and interesting read. I imagine it may not appeal to those interested in deep-in-the-weeds science.
Thank you to NetGalley and Basic Books for providing this ARC for my unbiased review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews