Miombo Barbet
Tricholaema frontata
A mid-sized, stocky, black-and-white barbet with a yellowish eyebrow, red forecrown spot and heavily spotted underparts. It is a low-density resident in broadleaved woodland, particularly Miombo (Brachystegia) and Burkea, where it is mostly solitary, but occasionally joins flocks to forage. Similar Pied and Red-fronted barbets have neater faces, lacking the brownish ears and scaly sides to the throat of Miombo Barbet, and their ranges barely overlap. Calls a distinctive melancholy “poooop” 6–7 times, often accompanied with a nasal repeated “nyeeeeaar”.
Identification
Its length is approximately 16 cm (6.3 in), and its weight is 24.5–28 g (0.86–0.99 oz). The male and female are alike. The adult has a black head. with a red spot on the forecrown. There is white scalloping on the black nape. The ear coverts are brown, and there are yellow lines over the eyes. The chin and throat are white, with brown or black scalloping. The back is black, with yellow spots. The tail is brown-black, and the undertail is pale brown-grey. The flight feathers are brown, with white inner edges. The inner primaries and the secondaries have white-yellow outer edges. The wing coverts are black-brown, with yellow tips. The scapulars have white spots. The eyes are dark brown. The beak is mostly brown, with a tomial tooth. The legs are grey-brown to grey, and the claws are pale grey. The immature has laxer plumage and does not have a tomial tooth.
Taxonomy
The miombo pied barbet was described as Pogonorhynchus frontatus by Cabanis in 1880. The species is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Tricholaema frontata
- Authority
- (Cabanis, 1881)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Lybiidae
- Genus
- Tricholaema
Range and habitat
This species is found in central Angola, the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Malawi, southwest Tanzania, and Zambia. It is found at elevations of 500–1,520 m (1,640–4,990 ft), and the size of its range is estimated at 2,490,000 km2 (960,000 sq mi). Its habitat is mainly dense miombo woodland, but it has also been observed in more open areas, including degraded woodland and grassy areas with patches of trees.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Its diet includes insects and fruits. Its song is a series of hoop notes, and it also produces nyah, ddddt and yeh calls. The male has been observed to puff its throat and rotate its head while singing. The nest is a cavity excavated in a tree or stub. The eggs are usually laid from September to December. There are two to three white eggs in a clutch. The incubation period and nestling period are not known. The young are fed insects, and then the parent birds change the food to fruits. The parents remove faeces and seeds. It hybridises with the acacia pied barbet (Tricholaema leucomelas) in southwest Zambia.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Cocha Antshrike
Thamnophilus praecox
Rare antbird nearly endemic to the lowlands of eastern Ecuador. It was recently found in neighboring Colombia, and is likely to occur over the border in Peru as well. Male is pure black. Female is chestnut with a black hood. Both sexes are very similar to White-shouldered Antbird, but lack blue markings around the eye. Male also similar to male White-shouldered Antshrike, but lacks white wing markings and lives in different habitat. Cocha Antshrike is usually encountered in pairs that skulk low in swampy forest along the edge of ponds and sluggish creeks. Typical song is a fast, monotonous series of clucks.
Malayan Night Heron
Gorsachius melanolophus
Bizarre-looking bird with the squat, staring appearance of a toad. Adult is dark cinnamon-brown with a black crown and a black stripe running from the throat down to the breast. Juvenile is very different, with gray-brown barring all over the body (darkest on the crown). Breeding birds have an especially bright blue facial skin patch between the bill and the eyes; the patch is faded in non-breeders, and yellowish in juveniles. Japanese Night-Heron is similar but averages duller brown with less contrasting black patches. Typically nocturnal and furtive in forested areas, but can frequently be tame and active during the day as well.
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Rusty edges to feathers and pale eyebrow in winter contrast with blackish feather bases. Breeding males are glossy black. Shorter tail than Common Grackle. Thinner bill than Red-winged Blackbird. Found in wooded swamps. Often in flocks; frequently mixes with Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle in winter. Look for flocks perched at tops of trees bordering marshes and listen for their calls to help pick them out from large flocks of blackbirds.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.