Lemon-throated Barbet
Eubucco richardsoni
Small, colorful barbet of lowland rainforest canopy. Plumage variable across its range: males are typically green-olive above and bright yellow below, with a crimson crown and sides of the face (but crimson replaced with black in northeastern Peru and adjacent northwestern Brazil) and variable amounts of orange on breast; females are similar but duller, often with more gray in the head. Usually found near water, around oxbow lakes, forest streams, and swampy forest; also found in secondary forest and forest edges. Frequently associates with mixed species flocks. Listen for its low, rolling song.
Identification
The "lemon-throated" barbet is approximately 15.5 cm (6.1 in) long and weighs 24.5 to 34 g (0.86 to 1.20 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies has a red crown, gray-blue nape, and green upperparts. Its throat is yellow, the breast orange-red, and the belly and flanks greenish with dark streaks. The female is duller, with a gray-green crown, nape, and upperparts. Its throat is bluish, the breast orange-gold, and the underparts bluish yellow with dark streaks. The male E. r. nigriceps has a black crown and both sexes have blue-green upperparts.<p>The "flame-throated" barbet is 14.5 to 15.5 cm (5.7 to 6.1 in) long and weighs 26 to 42 g (0.92 to 1.48 oz), heavier than the two "lemon-throated" subspecies. E. r. aurantiicollis differs from the nominate by having a yellow nape, upperparts that are a yellower green, a more orange throat, and a redder breast. The female is similar to the nominate but less yellow in the throat and breast. The E. r. purusianus male is paler than the nominate and more pinkish on the breast. The female's breast band is the same orange-gold as the nominate's but narrower.
Taxonomy
The lemon-throated barbet as recognized by the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS), the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and the Clements taxonomy has four subspecies: the nominate Eubucco richardsoni richardsoni, E. r. nigriceps, E. r. aurantiicollis, and E. r. purusianus. Clements groups richardsoni and nigriceps as "lemon-throated" and the other two as "flame-throated" within the species. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birds of the World treats the two groups separately within its account of the lemon-throated barbet sensu lato. At various times, including as recently as 2014, aurantiicollis has been treated as a separate species called flame-throated barbet.
- Scientific name
- Eubucco richardsoni
- Authority
- (Gray, GR, 1846)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Capitonidae
- Genus
- Eubucco
Range and habitat
The lemon-throated barbet is a bird of the western Amazon Basin. The four subspecies are found thus:<p>All of the subspecies inhabit the same forest types, lowland terra firme and dense secondary forest and their edges and clearings. They also are found in the edges of várzea forest. They are more numerous in maturing forest near rivers and lakes than in fully mature forest. In elevation they range from the lowlands to 1,375 m (4,511 ft) in Colombia, 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Ecuador, 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in Bolivia, and 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Peru.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The diet of the "flame-throated" barbet is fruits and arthropods, approximately evenly divided. It forages alone or in pairs from the canopy of the forest to within 5 m (16 ft) of the forest floor, but more commonly between 12 and 24 m (39 and 79 ft). It also frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks. It spends more than one-third of its foraging time feeding on insects in dead leaf clusters. The "lemon throated" barbet's diet and foraging behavior have not been documented but are assumed to be very similar.<p>The "lemon-throated" barbet's breeding season appears to be from April to November though it may begin in February. Its nest and eggs have not been described. The "flame-throated" barbet's breeding phenology has not been studied, though its breeding season is believed to start earlier than that of the nominate subspecies.<p>The songs of the four lemon-throated barbet subspecies do not differ substantially. Their song is "soft double or usually triple 'hoo' notes in [a] fast, trill-like series" [1]. Its calls are "various grunts and snarls" [2].
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Bay Antpitta
Grallaria capitalis
Dark antpitta found in cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes in central Peru. Much of its range is remote and rarely visited by birders. Adult is similar to both Chestnut Antpitta and Rufous Antpitta, but note the larger size, gray crown, thin eye-ring, unbarred belly patch, and voice. The rarely-seen juvenile is even darker with buff and gray barring and a spotted crown. Inhabits forest understory, especially where there is abundant bamboo. Stays on the ground when not singing and usually very tough to see. Song is a quick series that consists of a short note followed by two to five slightly lower notes.
Brown-chested Alethe
Chamaetylas poliocephala
An easily overlooked, locally common bird found in the understory and on the ground in forests, especially in hilly terrain and near water, from the lowlands up to middle elevations. The reddish-brown back and tail are noticeable when the bird flies away in the undergrowth, but also look for the bright white eye-stripe, the gray face and crown stripe, and the bright white undersides. Distinguished from the Fire-crested Alethe by its distinctive bright white eye-line and bright pink legs. Mainly silent, but will sometimes give a short whistled “wheep!” or harsh “djar” chatter notes.
Black-chinned Siskin
Spinus barbatus
Fairly common in lowlands and foothills (rarely at higher elevations), where it is found in town parks, gardens, matorral, woodland, and open and semiopen areas with bushes. Spirited bubbling and warbling song can be prolonged and draw attention, but often given from concealed perch in the tree canopy. Like other siskins, often in flocks, especially in nonbreeding season. Male is yellow overall with messy blackish cap and chin patch. Female is a rather drab grayish or yellowish overall, but note distinctive yellow wing patches. Compare with Grassland Yellow-Finch, which often occurs in same areas.
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