Orange-fronted Barbet
Capito squamatus
Chunky black and white bird with a stout bill. Ranges in lowland and foothill rainforest west of the Andes in Ecuador and far southwestern Colombia. Note orange forehead and large white spots on the lower back. Male has white underparts with streaked flanks; female has black throat and breast, and white scaling on the back. Male can be distinguished from Five-colored Barbet by white underparts, crown, and nape. Typically stays high in the canopy, where it joins mixed-species flocks of tanagers and other small birds.
Identification
The orange-fronted barbet is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 56 to 64 g (2.0 to 2.3 oz). The male has a white crown and an orange to red forecrown (the "front"). Its head except for the chin and its upperparts are black; white on some wing feathers remain visible when they are folded. Its underside from chin to the belly are yellowish white, sometimes with an orange tinge. Its flanks usually have light black spotting and the vent area is black. The female's front is yellow-orange; the rest of its head, its throat, and chest are black. Its black back has fine white markings on the wing-coverts.
Taxonomy
The orange-fronted barbet is monotypic. It and the spot-crowned barbet (Capito maculicoronatus) are sister species and may form a superspecies.
- Scientific name
- Capito squamatus
- Authority
- Salvin, 1876
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Capitonidae
- Genus
- Capito
Range and habitat
The orange-fronted barbet is found from El Oro Province in southwestern Ecuador north into Nariño Department in extreme southwestern Colombia. There it inhabits wet lowlands and hill country, using primary and secondary forest and their edges as well as more open areas such as farms, orchards, and pastures with trees. In elevation it usually ranges from sea level to 800 m (2,600 ft) but can be found up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in some areas.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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