Gilded Barbet
Capito auratus
Large, boldly marked barbet of lowland rainforest. Plumage is variable: throat and breast range from yellow to red while the rest of the body is marked yellow and black. Found in a variety of habitats from forest edge to mature rainforest. Its hooting song is far reaching and can be told from other barbets by its pattern: a series of doubled hoots that accelerate.
Identification
It has a total length of c. 20 cm (8 in). As other New World barbets, the gilded barbet is a thickset, relatively large-headed bird with a stubby bill. The upperparts, tail, wings and mask are mainly black. The spotty bar over the greater wing coverts, narrow edging to the remiges and tips to the tertials are yellow. Additionally, the narrow yellow eyebrows extend as two parallel lines over the mantle. The belly is mainly pale yellow with black streaking to the flanks. Depending on subspecies, the throat ranges from red to orange, and the crown ranges from deep yellow over brownish-orange to reddish-orange. The female resembles the male, but with extensive orange-yellow edging to the wing-coverts, yellowish streaking to the auriculars and back, and the black streaking of the flanks also extending over the chest. In females from the westernmost part of its range (subspecies punctatus), the throat is streaked black. Both sexes have dark maroon irides, greyish legs and a broadly black-tipped grey bill.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Capito auratus
- Authority
- (Dumont, 1805)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Capitonidae
- Genus
- Capito
Range and habitat
It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, in the Orinoco River Basin and western Amazon Basin. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the black-spotted barbet from north-eastern South America. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and woodland. It mainly occurs in lowlands, but also ranges into the lower foothills of the eastern Andes. It is largely frugivorous.<p>The gilded barbet ranges in the eastern Andes drainages to the rivers of the western Amazon Basin from eastern Colombia-Venezuela, eastern Ecuador, from north to south-eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia; in Bolivia the barbet only ranges on the headwater tributaries to the north-easterly flowing Madeira River. The eastern limit in the south-west Amazon Basin is the Purus River west of the Madeira.<p>In the north-west Amazon Basin, the eastern range limit is central Roraima state Brazil, the south flowing Branco River. The contiguous range to the north-west into Venezuela is all of eastern Venezuela approaching the Guyana border. The gilded barbet's range is on the eastern side of the Caribbean north-flowing Orinoco River drainage, but avoids the lower-half riverine strip by 150 km; the range occurs on the upper-half of the Orinoco River extending south into the eastern border area of Colombia.<p>A small range extension goes southeastwards into central Bolivia, which are also tributary areas to the Madeira River.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Large, dark sparrow with extensive geographic variation. Larger than Song Sparrow, and generally darker with thicker streaking. Four groups of subspecies: Red (only subspecies found in eastern U.S., but breeds to Alaska), Slate-colored (Rockies), Sooty (Pacific Northwest), Thick-billed (California). Habitat varies across range, but generally breeds in forests with thick understory, often with plenty of conifers. In winter, tends to occur in dense thickets. Forages mainly on the ground in search of seeds. Visits feeders.
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Setophaga caerulescens
Striking warbler with vastly different male and female plumages. Males are unique deep blue above with black face and sides and white belly. Females are plain brownish-olive with dingy buffy underparts and subtle face pattern. Always look for small white patch on the wing, lacking only on the dullest immature females. Breeds in the understory of mixed forests, favoring hills with dense vegetation. Found in nearly any wooded or shrubby habitat during migration. Winters primarily in the Caribbean. Listen for lazy buzzy song, usually a series of notes with a final long buzz.
Gray-crested Finch
Lophospingus griseocristatus
Small, mostly terrestrial finch-like tanager of dry intermontane valleys from central Bolivia to NW Argentina. Plain gray plumage and erect crest distinctive. Prefers open thorn scrub, especially mixed with cacti. Juvenile similar to juvenile and female Black-crested Finch, but supercilium much narrower.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.