White-eared barbet

Stactolaema leucotis

Photo by Johan van Rensburg (Wikipedia)

Common name:
white-eared barbet (en); barbaças-de-orelhas-brancas (pt); barbican oreillard (fr); barbudo orejiblanco (es); weißohr-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species occur in two disjunct areas in eastern Africa. The subspecies S.l. kilimensis is found in central and south-eastern Kenya, and in north-eastern Tanzania, while subspecies S.l. leucotis is found from Malawi and northern Mozambique, through eastern Zimbabwe and into Swaziland and north-eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 17-18 cm long and weigh 48-63 g.

Habitat:
The white-eared barbet is mostly found in moist tropical forests, including Brachystegia and Uapaca forests and woodlands, also using plantations and rural gardens. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.600 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, especially wild figs but also other small fruits and berries and domesticated fruits such as guavas, papaws and mangoes. They also take some insects, especially during the breeding season, including termite alates, grasshoppers, dragonflies, cicadas, roaches, wasps and hornets.

Breeding:
White-eared barbets breed in June-March. They are monogamous, cooperative breeders, with the breeding pair being helped by up to 6 helpers. The nest is excavated by both parents and helpers, consisting of a hole on the underside of a dead tree branch. The female lays 3-6 eggs, which are incubated by both parents and helpers for 14-18 days. The chicks fledge about 39 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be locally common to uncommon. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to removal of dead trees which are required for nesting and roosting, and habitat fragmentation.

Acacia pied barbet

Tricholaema leucomelas

(Photo from Bird Forum)

Common name:
acacia pied barbet (en); barbaças-das-acácias (pt); barbican pie (fr); barbudo pío (es); rotstirn-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Africa, from southern Angola, Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique, through Namibia and Botswana and throughout South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 15-18 cm long and weigh 23-45 g.

Habitat:
The acacia pied barbet is mostly found in dry savannas, particularly those dominated by Acacia and Baikiaea, also using dry scrublands, plantations, pastures, arable land, rural gardens and urban areas. These birds are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, especially figs and mistletoes, but also nectar and flowers, and insects.

Breeding:
These birds breed in September-June. They are monogamous and territorial and both sexes excavate the nest hole into the underside of a branch. The female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 12-18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 35 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and appear to be common throughout most of this range. The population is believed to be increasing as it takes advantage of the increasing amount of alien trees, which it uses as nesting sites, allowing the acacia pied barbet to expand its range south-westwards.

Fire-tufted barbet

Psilopogon pyrolophus

Photo by Rosmadi Hassan (Wings Among Us)

Common name:
fire-tufted barbet (en); barbudo-de-coleira (pt); barbu à collier (fr); barbudo picofuego (es); rotbüschel-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found in de Indonesian island of Sumatra and in the Malay Peninsula in Malaysia and marginally into Thailand.

Size:
These birds are 30 cm long and weigh 115-140 g.

Habitat:
The fire-tufted barbet is found in moist tropical forests at altitudes of 400-2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, particularly figs, but also take some insects.

Breeding:
Fire-tufted barbets breed in February-May. They nest in a hole excavated by both sexes on a dead tree trunk or branch. The female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 13-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 40 days after hatching, but continue to receive food for the parents for at least another week.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
this species has a large breeding range and is reported to be uncommon to locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction within its range.

Grey-throated barbet

Gymnobucco bonapartei

Photo by Tadeusz Stawarczyk (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
grey-throated barbet (en); barbudo-de-garganta-cinzenta (pt); barbican à gorge grise (fr); barbudo de garganta gris (es); trauerbartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found in central Africa, from Cameroon to south-western Congo and through D.R. Congo and the Central African Republic into South Sudan, western Kenya, north-western Tanzania and marginally into northern Angola.

Size:
These birds are 16,5-20 cm long and weigh 45-75 g.

Habitat:
The grey-throated barbet is mostly found in moist tropical forests, both in lowland and mountainous areas, but also uses pastures, plantations and rural gardens. They re present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.450 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly of fruits, including wild fruits such as figs and cultivated fruits. They also hunt various invertebrates, such as ants, cicadas, dragonflies, crickets, locusts, beetles, moths, mantids, as well as scorpions and centipedes. On occasion, they may even feed on lizards, frogs and geckos.

Breeding:
Grey-throated barbets net in tree cavities. The female lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 13-15 days. The chicks are raised by both parents but there is no information regarding the length of the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be widespread and relatively abundant. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to removal of dead trees which are required for nesting and roosting, and habitat fragmentation.

Lineated barbet

Megalaima lineata

(Photo from Flickr)

Common name:
lineated barbet (en); barbudo-riscado (pt); barbu rayé (fr); barbudo listado (es); streifenbartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found from northern-eastern India and Nepal, through Bangladesh and Myanmar and into Vietnam, Thailand, northern Malaysia and marginally into southern China.

Size:
These birds are 28-29 cm long and weigh 75-100 g.

Habitat:
The lineated barbet is mostly found in deciduous and evergreen tropical forests, including moist and dry forests. They also use plantations, orchards and urban areas.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, particularly those of jumbu Syzygium spp., Madras thorn Pithecellobium dulce, Benjamin fig Ficus benjamina, fishtail palm Caryota mitis and neem Azadirachta indica and several exotic species. They also take flowers and nectar, and also hunt variou insects, such as ants, cicadas, dragonflies, crickets, locusts, beetles, moths and mantids, as well spiders, lizards, tree frogs and the eggs of other birds.

Breeding:
Lineated barbets breed during the local rainy season. They nest in tree cavities, which they mostly excavate into dead wood, but sometimes also on live trunks and branches. There the female lays 2-4, which are incubated by both parents for 13-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 35-28 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and, although the population size has not been quantified, it is reported to be locally common to fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Prong-billed barbet

Semnornis frantzii

Photo by Lou Hegedus (Mango Verde)

Common name:
prong-billed barbet (en); capitão-de-Frantzius (pt); cabézon de Frantzius (fr); cabezón cocora (es); azteken-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is only found in Costa Rica and western Panama.

Size:
These birds are 17 cm long and weigh 60-70 g.

Habitat:
The prong-billed barbet is found in cool, moist tropical forests with abundant moss coverage, especially in mountainous areas but also in the lowlands. They are present at altitudes of 500-2.750 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on the fruits of various trees, epiphytes and scrubs, but also some flowers, nectar and insects.

Breeding:
Prong-billed barbets breed in March-June. They nest in a hole excavated by both sexes on a dead tree, usually 3,5-18 m above the ground. The nest cavity is not lined. The female lays 4-5 glossy white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 13-14 days. The chicks possibly fledge about 1 months after hatching. Each pair raises a single clutch per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and is described as uncommon. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Crimson-fronted barbet

Megalaima rubricapillus

Photo by P.J. Vasanthan (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
crimson-fronted barbet (en); barbudo-de-faces-vermelhas (pt); barbu à couronne rouge (fr); barbudo capirrojo (es); Malabarschmied

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found in south-western India, from Goa to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and in Sri Lanka.

Size:
These birds are 15 cm long and weigh 35-40 g.

Habitat:
The crimson-fronted barbet is mostly found in moist tropical forests, but also along rivers and streams, in coffee plantations, rural gardens and arable land. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.300 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on fruits, especially Ficus retusa, Ficus gibbosa and Ficus tsiela, but will also take a wide range of insects such as grubs, termite alates, ants, cicadas, dragonflies, crickets, locusts, beetles, moths and mantids.

Breeding:
Crimson-fronted barbets breed in January-March. They nest in tree holes, which they excavated on the underside of thin branches. The female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 13-16 days. The chicks fledge about 35 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and is described is reported to be locally common. The population is believed to be declining, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Yellow-fronted tinkerbird

Pogoniulus chrysoconus

Photo by Ian White (Flickr)

Common name:
yellow-fronted tinkerbird (en); barbadinho-de-testa-amarela (pt); barbion à front jaune (fr); barbudito frentigualdo (es); gelbstirn-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to southern Sudan and Ethiopia and south to northern Namibia and north-eastern South Africa. They are mostly absent from the Congo river basin.

Size:
These birds are 11-12 cm long and weigh 11-17 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-fronted tinkerbird is mostly found in broad-leaved woodlands and savannas, especially miombo Brachystegia, but also in moist tropical forests, scrublands, pastures and along rivers and streams. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.000 m.

Diet:
They mainly eat small berries and fruits, namely mistletoe berries and figs, but also some beetles and other insects.

Breeding:
Yellow-fronted tinkerbirds breed all year round. Both sexes excavate the nest, a hole dug into a dead branch or stump, where the female lays 2-4 white eggs. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for about 12 days. The chicks are cared for by both sexes and fledge about 21 days after hatching. Each pair can raise 3-4 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and is reported to be widespread and common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Toucan barbet

Semnornis ramphastinus

Photo by Tadeusz Stawarczyk (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
toucan barbet (en); capitão-tucano (pt); cabézon toucan (fr); tucán barbudo (es); tukan-bartvogel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae


Range:
This species is found along the western slopes of the Andes, in southern Colombia and northern Ecuador.


Size:
These birds are 19-25 cm long and weigh 85-110 g.


Habitat:
The toucan barbet is found in mountain evergreen forests, secondary forests, open woodlands and pastures, at altitudes of 1.000-2.400 m.


Diet:
They are mainly frugivorous, eating a wide range of fruits, namely Cecropia and Ficus, but will also eat termites and other insects when they come across them.


Breeding:
Toucan barbets breed in February-October. They live in small family groups of up to 6 birds, with an adult pair and young that help raising the new clutch. They nest in a tree cavity, where the female lays 2-3 eggs, which are incubated by all group members for 15 days. The chicks are fed by all group members and fledge 43-46 days after hatching, but only becomy fully independent 4 weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a relatively small breeding range and is described as uncommon. The population is declining at a moderately rapid rate, due to illegal trapping for the international cage bird trade and habitat loss through intensive logging, human settlement, cattle grazing, mining and coca and palm cultivation.

Coppersmith barbet

Megalaima haemacephala

Photo by Rajiv Lather (Birding in India and South Asia)

Common name:
coppersmith barbet (en); barbudo-de-peito-vermelho (pt); barbu à plastron rouge (fr); barbudo calderero (es); kupferschmied (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Asia, from north-eastern Pakistan, through India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, and into southern China, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Size:These birds are 15-17 cm long and weigh 30-53 g.

Habitat:Coppersmith barbets are mostly found in moist forests, but also in dry deciduous woodlands, along forest edges, in teak forests, mangroves, irrigated orchards and plantations with fruiting trees, and urban areas that contain trees. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.250 m.

Diet:They mostly eat wild figs and other fruits and berries, but also insects such as beetles, crickets, mantids and various insect larvae.

Breeding:These birds breed in December-September. They nest in a hole, excavated by both sexes in a tree trunk or branch, often on the underside of an horizontal branch. There the female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 5 weeks after hatching. Each pair may raise 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The coppersmith barbet has a very large breeding range and is reported to be widespread and common throughout this range. The species has expanded in range, as it can easily adapt to man-made and altered habitats.

Black-spotted barbet

Capito niger

Photo by João Quental (Flickr)

Common name:

black-spotted barbet (en); capitão-de-bigode-carijó (pt); cabézon tacheté (fr); capitán turero (es); tupfenbartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Piciformes

Family Capitonidae

Range:

This South American species is found from western Colombia, through Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and east to northern Brazil.

Size:

These birds are 18-19 cm long and weigh 53-67 g.

Habitat:

Black-spotted barbets are mostly found in mature, lowland forest, both dry and wet floodplain forests and upland forests, but also along forest edges, in gardens, orchards and plantations. In Peru they are also found in elfin high altitude forests and in the Guyanas also in forest patches in savanna and coastal forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.700 m.

Diet:

They search among the vegetation, peaking insects, fruits and oily seeds.

Breeding:

Black-spotted barbets excavate a cavity in a tree stump, 8-12 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-4 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 14-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 34 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from their parents for another 3 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is believed to be large as the species is described as fairly common in at least parts of its wide range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Black-browed barbet

Megalaima oorti

(Photo from Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:

black-browed barbet (en); barbudo-malaio (pt); barbu malais (fr); barbudo cejinegro (es); schwarzbrauen-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Capitonidae

Range:

This Asian species is found in southern China and Taiwan, south through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodja, and into the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.

Size:

The black-browed barbet is 20-24 cm long and weighs 70-80 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in the upper and middle levels of tropical and sub-tropical forests, up to an altitude of 2.500 m.

Diet:

They eat fruits, berries and insects.

Breeding:

The black-browed barbet breeds in April-September. Both sexes excavate a nest hole in a tree, or sometimes they may utilize an existing natural cavity. There the female lays 2-4 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 13-15 days. The chicks are fed insects and berries by both parents and fledge 23-29 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is described as fairly common to common in most of its range. There is no information regarding population trends, but the species is not considered threatened at present.

Red-rumped tinkerbird

Pogoniulus atroflavus

Common name:

red-rumped tinkerbird (en); barbadinho-de-uropígio-vermelho (pt); barbion à croupion rouge (fr); barbudito culirrojo (es); rotbürzel-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Piciformes

Family Capitonidae

Range:

This species is found in tropical Africa, from Senegal and Guinea, along the Atlantic coast to northern Angola, and eastwards to D.R. Congo, Uganda and the Central African Republic.

Size:

These birds are 13 cm long and weigh 18-20 g.

Habitat:

They are mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical moist forests, but also in mangroves, dry and wet grasslands and plantations. They are present both in lowlands and in mountainous areas up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:

The diet of the red-rumped tinkerbird consists mainly of fruits, but they also eat insects and spiders.

Breeding:

These birds breed throughout the year, nesting in holes excavated into trees or and riverbanks. The female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 13-15 days. The chicks are raised by both parents and fledge 20-21 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

Although this species is described as uncommon, it has a very large breeding range and there is no evidence for any declines or substantial threats. Overall, this species is not considered threatened at present.

Red-headed barbet

Eubucco bourcierii

Common name:

red-headed barbet (en); capitão-de-cabeça-vermelha (pt); cabézon à tête rouge (fr); torito cabecirrojo (es); Anden-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Piciformes

Family Capitonidae

Range:

These South American birds are found in Costa Rica and Panama, on both slopes of the western Andes of Colombia, on the west slope of the Andes of Ecuador, and on the eastern slope of the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru.

Size:

The red-headed barbet is 15 cm long and weighs 34 g.

Habitat:

They occur in mountain evergreen forest, forest borders, and adjacent secondary-growth. They are found at altitudes of 400-2.400 m.

Diet:

Red-headed barbets eat a variety of insects and arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, flies and scorpions. They also consume fruits, including berries of Myrica, Ericacacea, Micronia, Ocotea tonzuzii, guava, and banana.

Breeding:

These birds breed in March-June. The nest is in a cavity in a tree or a fence post, where the female lays 2-5 white, unmarked eggs. The eggs are incubated for 15 days by both parents, although only the female incubates at night. The chicks are fed insects by their parents and fledge 31-42 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is described as fairly common. The overall population trend is believed to be one of decline, mostly owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but the current rate of decline is not thought to be a cause for concern.