White-mantled Barbet
Capito hypoleucus
Endemic to northern Colombia. Glossy black above and off-white below with a vague brown breast band. Look for the stout bill and patch of red on the forehead. Sexes similar. The namesake white mantle can be difficult to see, as these birds tend to stay high in the canopy of tall forest. Usually in pairs, which follow mixed-species flocks.
Identification
With the division of toucan barbet, the white-mantled barbet is perhaps the largest of the New World barbets, rivaled only by the scarlet-banded barbet. with an average length of 19 cm (7.5 in), males and females respectively weigh an average of 74.6 g (2.63 oz) and 67.4 g (2.38 oz). The bird has black upperparts with narrow pale lines on the nape and scapulars. These lines are not easy to see because the bird is mostly observed higher up in the canopy of tall trees. The forehead and crown are red. The bird's underparts are white with a slight yellowish wash and a flush of cinnamon on the breast. They eyes are red, the large, chunky bill is yellowish, and the legs and feet are greenish-grey. Females have a black spot at the base of the lower mandible.
Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 1897 by English ornithologist Osbert Salvin, based on a sample collected by Antwerp Edgar Pratt in Antioquia Department. The species name is derived from the Latin capito - big-headed, and the Ancient Greek hupo - beneath, and leukos - white.<p>Three subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Capito hypoleucus
- Authority
- Salvin, 1897
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Capitonidae
- Genus
- Capito
Range and habitat
The white-mantled barbet is found in the Middle Magdalena Valley of Colombia at altitudes between 200 and 1,800 m (660 and 5,910 ft).<p>It is a bird of the tropical zone, inhabiting humid forests on montane slopes, forest patches with a mosaic of pastures, secondary forest, and plantations mixed with fruiting trees.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
These barbets typically forage in pairs or family groups, and may follow mixed-species feeding flocks. They mostly stay in the forest canopy, but come down and into the open at fruiting trees such as mango and Cecropia.<p>The white-mantled barbet population is declining, primarily due to habitat loss. The IUCN Red List classifies the species as vulnerable. The Red Book of the Birds of Colombia, noting that the species has lost 60% of its historic habitat and that that habitat continues to decrease, lists the bird as endangered. The primary causes of this habitat loss are illicit cultivation, overuse of insecticides, and small-scale gold mining.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous Treepie
Dendrocitta vagabunda
A long- and stiff-tailed bird with primarily rusty-brown upperparts and dull orangish underparts. The head, mantle, and neck region are a dull, sooty black. The long graduated tail is pale gray with a wide black terminal band. Note the conspicuous silvery-gray, white, and black patterns on the wings. The blackish-gray bill is stout with a hooked tip. Found in a wide range of habitats from woodlands to scrubby patches, singly or in pairs feeding in the treetops. The call is a loud metallic “krowwiiii kroo.”
Emerald-bellied Puffleg
Eriocnemis aline
Small, glittering hummingbird found in cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes. It is shining green with white leg puffs and has an irregular white patch on the underparts that is variable in size. Underparts may shine iridescent blue at certain angles in good light. Sexes similar. Uncommon inside humid forest at middle elevations, occasionally coming into clearings where there are abundant flowers or feeders.
Bolivian Antpitta
Grallaria cochabambae
Rotund, brown bird with long legs and a short tail restricted to the Bolivian Andes. Looks rather plain in the field, though may show a buffy tinge to the underparts. Similar to Leymebamba Antpitta, but larger, longer legged, and lacks gray in the plumage. Vocalizations include a whistled “wit-do” and a trill that drops slightly in pitch and then rises. It was formerly considered a subspecies of what used to be called Rufous Antpitta.
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