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.