Versicolored barbet
Versicolored barbet | |
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Male "blue-moustached" form | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Piciformes |
Family: | Capitonidae |
Genus: | Eubucco |
Species: | E. versicolor
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Binomial name | |
Eubucco versicolor (Statius Müller, 1776)
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The versicolored barbet (Eubucco versicolor) is a very colorful species of
Taxonomy and systematics
The versicolored barbet was described by
The three subspecies are:[4]
- E. v. steerii ("blue-cowled") Sclater & Salvin (1878)
- E. v. glaucogularis ("blue-chinned") Tschudi (1844)
- E. v. versicolor ("blue-moustached") Müller (1776)
Description
The versicolored barbet is multicolored and like all barbets has a sturdy bill. The subspecies differ in their plumage, but all the males have a red face and crown and green to blue-green upperparts. The males' lower breasts are red and their bellies yellowish with green streaks, though the size and shape of the red vary. The female's upperparts are also green to blue-green and their bellies a similar yellowish with green streaks. All the subspecies are approximately 16 cm (6.3 in) long but differ in their weights.[7]
The nominate "blue-moustached" form weighs 28 to 39 g (0.99 to 1.38 oz). The male has a red throat with a thin blue band below it. It has a blue malar patch (the "moustache") and a blue band separating the red head from the greenish back. Its upper breast is yellow. The female has a greenish cap, blue malars with a yellow edge, and a blue throat with a thin red band below it.[7]
The "blue-cowled" form weighs 31 to 37 g (1.1 to 1.3 oz). The back of the male's head and nape (the "cowl") are blue. It has a red chin and yellow malars and throat. The female's crown and nape are yellow. Its face, throat, and upper breast are blue with a thin red crescent dividing the throat and breast.[7]
The "blue-chinned" form weighs 26 to 41 g (0.92 to 1.45 oz). The male has a thin blue band behind the head like the "blue-moustached" form and a yellow malar. It has successive bands of red, blue, and orange between its bill and its yellow upper breast. The female has a yellow crown and nape. Its face and throat are blue with a red band below the latter.[7]
Distribution and habitat
The nominate "blue-moustached" barbet is found from Peru's
All subspecies of the versicolored barbet inhabit humid
Behavior
Feeding
Only the nominate form of versicolored barbet's diet and foraging technique have been studied; those of the other forms are assumed to be similar. About 80% of its diet is fruits and seeds and the remainder mostly arthropods. It forages alone, in pairs, and sometimes with mixed-species foraging flocks, usually between 10 and 25 m (33 and 82 ft) above the ground. It seeks arthropod prey by poking and tearing clusters of dead leaves.[7]
Breeding
The subspecies of the versicolored barbet have not been studied individually. The species apparently breeds between July and December. One nest (of the nominate) has been described; it was in a tree hole and contained three eggs.[7]
Vocalization
No differences are known in the vocalizations of the versicolored barbet's subspecies. Its song is " a fast, low-pitched trill" [1].[7]
Status
The
Gallery
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Male illustrated by Prêtre, 1838
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Male illustrated by Keulemans, 1871
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Male of E. v. steerii illustrated by Smit, 1878
Notes
- ^ The versicolored barbet is split into three species by the IUCN: blue-moustached barbet (E. versicolor), blue-cowled barbet (E. steerii) and blue-chinned barbet (E. glaucogularis). The blue-moustached and blue-cowled barbets are assessed as being of least concern, while the blue-chinned barbet is assessed as being near-threatened.[1][2][3]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ . Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ . Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ a b Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (January 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)". Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 8496553949.
- ^ HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved May 27, 2021
- ^ a b c d e f g h i del Hoyo, J., L.L. Short, N. Collar, J. F. M. Horne, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Versicolored Barbet (Eubucco versicolor), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.verbar1.01 retrieved May 28, 2021