Bearded Barbet
Encyclopedia
The Bearded Barbet is an African barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine
bird
s with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.
The Bearded Barbet is a common resident breeder in tropical west Africa
. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country which eats fruit
, although the young are fed on insect
s. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2 white egg
s.
This is a conspicuous, large barbet at 26 cm. It is fairly plump, with a short neck, large head and a shortish tail. The adult has a black crown, back, tail and breast band. The throat and belly are red and there is a yellow eye patch. The rump is white. The massive bill is very thick and yellow, and the well developed clump of bristles at its base give the species its name. Sexes are similar. The call is a growling scrawk.
The Bearded Barbet is found in well-wooded areas with plentiful fig
trees. It will enter gardens for fruit. It forms social groups of 4-5 birds and pairs or groups roost together in a tree cavity.
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.
The Bearded Barbet is a common resident breeder in tropical west Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country which eats fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, although the young are fed on insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2 white egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s.
This is a conspicuous, large barbet at 26 cm. It is fairly plump, with a short neck, large head and a shortish tail. The adult has a black crown, back, tail and breast band. The throat and belly are red and there is a yellow eye patch. The rump is white. The massive bill is very thick and yellow, and the well developed clump of bristles at its base give the species its name. Sexes are similar. The call is a growling scrawk.
The Bearded Barbet is found in well-wooded areas with plentiful fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
trees. It will enter gardens for fruit. It forms social groups of 4-5 birds and pairs or groups roost together in a tree cavity.