The plumage of the adult least honeyguide is an olive brown, with dark grey colouration on its underside and face.

[3] A small bird, the least honey guide measures about 14 cm and weighs anywhere between 12 and 23 g.[4] Males of the species tend to be noticeably larger in size than the females.

Known slight physical differences between the subspecies are as follows: I.e. exilis - Wings edged in part with a slightly more bronze colouration than those of I.e. cerophagus[6] I.e. cerophagus - paler and more yellow in colour than I.e. exilis, and wings have edged parts in a more yellow hue [6] I.e. parchyrhychus - darker neck and back than I.e. cerophagus [6] Indicator exilis is most commonly found in forested areas, including tree plantations, primary and secondary forests, and forest shrub mosaics throughout its range in sub-Saharan Africa.

[7] In total, I. exilis can be found in Angola; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic, the Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, United Republic of Togo, Uganda and Zambia.

Honeyguides are named for the few species in the Indicator family that have been seen to lead humans to bee hives.

[9] While the least honeyguide has not been recorded displaying this behaviour, it does eat bee's wax and larvae like its human-guiding relatives.

birds located in Liberia tend to mate August through March, February through May in Cameroon, and January through June in Zaire.

The Least honey guide has been classified in 2016 as "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Additional information on the taxonomy of I. exilis can be found below under the links seen in the Taxon Identifiers box.