Five-colored Barbet
Capito quinticolor
Colorful barbet of lowland rainforest west of the Andes; scarce and declining in northwestern Ecuador, but more common in parts of southwestern Colombia. Male is black and yellow with red crown, white throat, and streaked flanks. Female is heavily spotted with black below, and has black and yellow streaking on head. Usually stays high in trees and often joins mixed-species flocks. Male sings a series of ten or more soft “boo” notes; he hunches over and looks like he’s retching while singing.
Identification
The five-colored barbet is 17 to 18 cm (6.7 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 54 to 69 g (1.9 to 2.4 oz). The male is mostly black above with a yellow "V" on the mantle. It has a red crown and nape and yellow wingbars. Its throat and breast are yellow brightening to gold or orange on the belly; the flanks have black spots. The female is also black above but heavily streaked with gold. Its throat, breast, and belly are colored like the male's but have black spots throughout.
Taxonomy
The five-colored barbet is monotypic. It and the white-mantled barbet (Capito hypoleucos) were briefly thought to be a single species. DNA data have shown it instead to be sister to black-girdled barbet (C. dayi).
- Scientific name
- Capito quinticolor
- Authority
- Elliot, DG, 1865
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Capitonidae
- Genus
- Capito
Range and habitat
The five-colored barbet is found from central Chocó Department in western Colombia south into Ecuador's most northwesterly province, Esmeraldas. It inhabits wet primary and mature secondary forest and their edges and disturbed areas. In elevation it usually ranges from near sea level to 350 m (1,150 ft) but locally can be found up to approximately 600 m (2,000 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The five-colored barbet's diet is primarily fruit but it also takes insects. It forages from mid-level to the canopy in the forest interior; in the forest edges it also feeds in the understory. It sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks.<p>The five-colored barbet's breeding phenology is practically unknown. Specimens in breeding condition suggest that its breeding season spans from April to July. A third adult has been observed accompanying apparently mated pairs.<p>The five-colored barbet's song is a "low-pitched, hollow, hoop trill" [1]; both sexes sing. It also has a "guttural 'churr' call" [2].
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Giant Antshrike
Batara cinerea
Huge antshrike with a rather long tail and a strong, heavily hooked bill. Males are barred black and white above and gray below, with a black cap that can be erected. Females look similar, but are barred black and cinnamon above and buff below with a cinnamon cap. Usually seen in pairs in the dense understory and middle levels of humid forests mostly in and around bamboo patches.
Blue-tailed Trogon
Trogon comptus
Colorful trogon of lowland and foothill rainforest in western Ecuador and western Colombia. Both sexes have conspicuous white eyes, unmarked black tail, red belly, and mostly yellow bill. Male is green with a black face. Female is gray with a dark top to her yellow bill. Differs from Slaty-tailed Trogon by yellow (not orange) bill. Also similar to Ecuadorian Trogon, but lacks white on breast. Perches high in the trees for long periods, occasionally sallying out to take fruits or insects. Often first detected by song, a lazy series of 20 or more mellow whistles.
Tawny-crowned Greenlet
Tunchiornis ochraceiceps
Small, often rather active little bird of shady forest understory in humid tropical lowlands; often in areas with understory palms. Usually in pairs at middle levels moving with mixed-species flocks that often include Golden-crowned Warbler and Red-crowned Ant-Tanager. Rather drab brownish overall with tawny bushy crest, paler gray face and throat, and piercing pale eye (can be hard to see in the shade). Often gives a twangy, nasal “dwoi-dwoi-dwoi” call and a high, insectlike, whining whistle.
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