Back in those days, the honey bird and herd boys were close companions.

While other birds often felt the wrath of the herd boys, the honey bird was an exception.

In fact wherever the honey bird saw the herd boy it would greet him with its sweet melody and lead him to a bee hive where honey would be in abundance.

Thus the bird and herd boys' lust for honey turned the two unlikely partners into exclusive friends because of the mutually beneficial relationships.

Firstly because the honey bird mastered the art of spotting the bee hives which it will then point out to the herd boy who will in turn with his shovels and spades to dig out for honey. In turn the herd boy would not think of harming the honey bird in any way as it would be tantamount to endangering a friend indeed.

Surely it is not a surprise that these two could live together in harmony during those times when other birds such as doves feared for their lives whenever the herd boy was lurking around.

While exaggerated, fearful stories have been told about the honey bird, others say that it is not as dangerous as it is portrayed.

Small as it is, It hates to be taken for granted or cheated, it is said.

Further, it is a bird that hates greedy people and loves to revenge, that is if old tales told about the bird are anything to go by.

A Tale that used to make rounds about this bird is that once it had shown you a bee hive, you should dig out the honey, leave just a little bit for it before eloping with the loot. Legend has it that if one fails to honour this pledge, the bird will hunt them down and on encounter it will lure them to a place where a black mamba dwells.

Elderly people say the intention of the bird is to get one stung by this venomous snake.

However, if one leaves a small portion of honey for it, on the next encounter the bird will drive them to another bee hive where honey is in abundance.

Mr Bashi Marumo, 69, attests to the fact that the tales were widely shared in the good old days.

"This bird used to lead people to bee hives and once you have dug out the honey you should leave just a little for it and its family, just as a way of saying thank you," he said.

He says failure to do so on next sighting the bird may lead you to a dangerous snake.

He claims that his late brother once had a nasty experience with the bird arising from his failure to share honey with it.

"He was always warned about the possible machinations of this bird. He did not listen and one day the bird lured him to a cobra.

Since then every time it leads him to a bee hive he would dig out the honey and leave some for it," he said.

However, other elderly people have rubbished these popular tales. According to them the honey bird has always been a man's best companion without pre-conditions.

Kgosi Moffat Mwezi of Kasane says while it is true that the bird often leads people to bee hives, it is not true that is can hoodwink one to their death trap such as creating an encounter with lions and snakes.

"Once it sees a person it mocks them until they follow it to a place where the bee hive is located. Other stories that it can deliberately lure one to a snake or a lion are just not true," he said.

He said the bird requires a lot of patience as it can lure you to a bee hive one to two kilometres away. "As you follow it jumps from one tree to another with its melody, but once it reaches the bee spot it then keeps quite. It is then that one has to look around for the bee hive around the place," he said.

Kgosi Sabbath Makhanga of Kazungula also defends the motives of the bird, saying it is the most useful creature as it warns of any form of impending danger in the bush. "If a lion is somewhere near, the bird will warn you. You need skill to understand what it is warning you about because it sounds differently depending on what it is warning you about," he said.

He said It is not necessary to leave any honey for the bird as it will feed on the left overs.

"It is just a small bird so you don't have to leave anything behind," he said. He said the bird once saved their lives when he was in the bush with his friend. They were nearly attacked by a black mamba.

"We were hunting and we went to take a rest under a tree without any inkling of a lurking danger around us. This bird came and started mocking us.

As I turned to look around, I saw a large black mamba ready to pounce on us and we had to run for dear life. The bird had long warned us and we did not understand the meaning of the language at the time," he said.

Mrs Keddy Mooketsa of Bird Life Botswana says it is true that the bird guides people to bee hives. "Guiding is unpredictable and is more common among immature and females than adult males.

A guiding bird attracts a person's attention through wavering, chattering "'tya' sound compounded with peeps it gives in aggression," she said, adding that the guiding bird flies towards a bee-occupied hive and then stops and calls again.

However, she said in other situations it spreads its tail showing the white spots and has a "bounding upward flight to a perch", which makes it conspicuous. "If the followers are native honey -hunters when they reach the hive they incapacitate the adult bees with smoke and open the hive with axes before taking out the honey," she said.

After they have taken the honey, the bird will eat whatever is left, especially the bee wax.

She says traditionally, many tribes believed that the honey guide should be thanked by way of a gift of honey, if not, it might lead its follower to a lion, bull elephant, or venomous snake as punishment for greediness.

"However, others maintain that the honeycomb spoils the bird and should be left to find its own bits of comb," she said.BOPA