Scarlet-banded Barbet
Capito wallacei
Spectacular cloud forest bird found only in remote mountains east of the main cordillera of the Andes in northern Peru. Distinctive in its small range with red crown and breast band, white throat, and yellow flanks. Usually encountered in pairs or small groups that feed on fruit in the forest canopy. Song is a soft, low-pitched gurgle; it also gives weird rattling calls.
Identification
The scarlet-banded barbet is 19.5 cm (7.7 in) long and weighs 65 to 78 g (2.3 to 2.8 oz). A strikingly colored species, its cap and nape are scarlet, while a broad white supercilium separates the crown from the black ear coverts. Most of the upperparts are black except for a yellow mid-back and large white rump patch. Below, the throat and upper breast are white, bordered below by a broad scarlet band, while the rest of the underparts are shades of yellow.
Taxonomy
The scarlet-belted barbet was discovered in 1996 and formally described in 2000. According to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the species is monotypic. However, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and the Clements taxonomy include the "Sira barbet" (Capito fitzpatricki) as a subspecies of it. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birds of the World acknowledges that the "Sira" form is significantly different from the nominate and suggests that it be accorded species rank.
- Scientific name
- Capito wallacei
- Authority
- O'Neill, Lane, Kratter, Capparella & Fox Joo, 2000
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Capitonidae
- Genus
- Capito
Range and habitat
The scarlet-banded barbet has been found only on a ridgetop known as Peak 1538 in the remote Cordillera Azul National Park in south-western Loreto, Peru. (It was mistakenly listed as being in Ucayali, Peru, in its formal description.) There it inhabits humid, mossy, sub-montane and montane forest at elevations between 1,350 and 1,500 m (4,430 and 4,920 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The scarlet-banded barbet forages in the forest canopy. It was observed in small groups of the same species and in mixed-species foraging flocks. It feeds on fruits and seeds and probably takes insects as well.<p>The scarlet-banded barbet specimens collected during the 1996 expedition indicate that the nesting season is probably March through May. No other information about its breeding habits has been published.<p>The scarlet-banded barbet's song is " a fast, low-pitched trill...'tdddddd-'" [1] that sounds like a woodpecker's drumming. Its call is a "guttural 'ggrrrakk'" [2].
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Slender and drab songbird of open country. Brownish above with heavy streaking below. Distinguished from similar-looking (unrelated) buntings by thin bill and lanky appearance with long legs. Walks on the ground with jerky motions and frequently bobs tail. Breeds in tundra, while in winter and during migration, found in cultivation, moist grassland, and wetlands. Flocks are often heard as they pass overhead or flush from a barren field; listen for sharp, high-pitched call notes and look for flashing white outer tail feathers.
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropus
Elegant wader with a long fine bill and long reddish legs (dark on breeding adults). Striking breeding plumage dark overall. Nonbreeding plumage is paler and grayer than smaller and chunkier Common Redshank. In flight often appears dark overall with narrow white oval up middle of back. Breeds in arctic bogs and swamps; migrants occur in varied wetland habitats. Usually seen as singles or small groups, though will sometimes congregate in large flocks, especially on wintering grounds. Feeds mainly by wading in fairly deep water, probing and picking with its bill, at times swimming.
Gunnison Sage-Grouse
Centrocercus minimus
Large turkeylike bird found in extensive areas of sagebrush. Both sexes gray overall with very fine patterning, black belly, and long pointed tail. Males have a white breast and a black throat. Spectacular male display involves fanning tail, inflating yellow air sacs on chest, and thrusting them forward to produce liquidy popping noises. Extremely similar to more widespread Greater Sage-Grouse but smaller and no range overlap. Also note lighter tail and longer head plumes on Gunnison when displaying. Most easily seen at display sites in early spring; can be very inconspicuous at other times of year. Tends to forage in wet riparian areas near sagebrush. Population in decline.
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