Banded Barbet
Lybius undatus
A medium-sized barbet with a black back, a barred belly, and a red patch above the bill. There is considerable geographical variation; the throat varies from speckled to solidly black, and the head can be black with a thin white eyebrow, or black-and-white. Found at middle elevations in montane woodland in the Abyssinian highlands. Not very vocal, but does give quiet rasping calls. Has a red patch above the bill like Red-fronted Barbet, but easily separated by the barred belly.
Identification
This barbet is approximately 20–25 cm long, stocky-looking, with a large head and a heavy bill with the bristles that the Lybius species is known for. It has been reported to eat insects (beetles) and the fruit of fig trees. The barbet has been described also to hawk insects like a flycatcher and to hang from a branch upside down like a tit. Its call notes are metallic and it produces also a "gr-gr-grgrgr..." in rising tempo. The barbet has been reported to nest in a hole in a branch of a tree or in a tree or in a stump. This barbet lays approximately two to four eggs when reproducing and those eggs incubate for 13–15 days. Both the parents share the parental nesting responsibilities.
Taxonomy
The banded barbet is somewhat of a mystery bird that has been placed in the genus Lybius for the time being. It could represent an evolutionary link between the sister genera Tricholaema and Lybius.
- Scientific name
- Lybius undatus
- Authority
- (Rüppell, 1837)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Lybiidae
- Genus
- Lybius
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
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Fairly small, long-tailed hawk with broad, rounded wings (not pointed like kestrels). Soars occasionally, but more often seen in quick hunting flight chasing small birds, or perched quietly in shade. Note golden-yellow eyes, barred underparts (barring grayish on female, rusty on male). Juvenile brownish above through first year. Smaller and much less bulky than Northern Goshawk, and with horizontally barred instead of vertically striped underparts. Occurs in woodland, forest, farmland, and urban areas with hedges and wooded patches; sometimes hunts in gardens.
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