Bearded Barbet
Pogonornis dubius
Large, colorful barbet with a huge ivory-colored bill. Note the red underparts with a thick black bar across the middle. Found in a variety of habitats, including moist and dry savanna, woodland, gardens, and secondary growth, often in the vicinity of figs and other fruiting trees. Most often in pairs or small groups. The call is a very rough, explosive “rwauk,” often given in a slow series. Similar to Double-toothed Barbet, but separated by the black chest band and the lack of a red bar on the shoulder.
Identification
This is a conspicuous, large barbet at 26 centimetres (10 in) in overall length. It is fairly plump, with a short neck, large head and a shortish tail. The adult has a black crown, back, tail and breast band. The throat and belly are red and there is a yellow eye patch. The rump is white. The massive bill is very thick and yellow, and the well developed clump of bristles at its base give the species its name. Sexes are similar. The call is a growling scrawk.
Taxonomy
The bearded barbet was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the puffbirds in the genus Bucco and coined the binomial name Bucco dubius. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "doubtful" or "dubious". John Latham had earlier included the species in his work A General Synopsis of Birds and had written "This bird inhabits the Coast of Barbary, and if of doubtful genus". Both Gmelin and Latham based their description on "Le Barbican" that had been described and illustrated in 1780 by the French polymath Comte de Buffon. The bearded barbet is now placed with 12 other barbets in the genus Lybius that was introduced in 1783 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Pogonornis dubius
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Lybiidae
- Genus
- Pogonornis
Range and habitat
The bearded barbet is a common resident breeder in tropical west Africa. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country which eats fruit, although the young are fed on insects. It is found in well-wooded areas with plentiful fig trees. It will enter gardens for fruit.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The bearded barbet forms social groups of 4-5 birds and pairs or groups roost together in a tree cavity. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2 white eggs.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
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