Meet the Red-Headed Barbet

Photo Courtesy of  Félix Uribe / CC BY-SA 2.0

The red-headed barbet (Eubucco bourcierii), is a species of bird in the Capitonidae family, the New World barbets. Males of this species have a red head, an orange to yellow breast, along with a white belly. A white collar separates the head from the olive greenback. They range in weight from 1.1 to 1.4 oz.

Photo Courtesy of  Félix Uribe / CC BY-SA 2.0

The female’s crown and nape vary from dull orange to shades of green.

Her back is green, the throat is grey-yellow with a yellow-to-orange band below it.

Photo Courtesy of ryanacandee / CC BY 2.0

These South American birds are found in Costa Rica and Panama, on both slopes of the western Andes of Colombia, on the west slope of the Andes of Ecuador, and on the eastern slope of the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Wendelken / CC BY 2.0

Red-headed Barbets prefer mountain evergreen forests, forest borders, and adjacent secondary growth. They are normally found at altitudes between 400-2,400 m.

Photo Courtesy of ryanacandee / CC BY 2.0

Red-headed barbets eat a variety of insects and arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, flies, and scorpions. However, they will also dine on some fruits and berries.

Photo Courtesy of felixú / CC BY-SA 2.0

These birds breed in March-June. The nest is in a cavity in a tree or a fence post, where the female lays 2-5 white, unmarked eggs. The eggs are incubated for 15 days by both parents, although only the female incubates at night. The chicks are fed insects by their parents and fledge 31-42 days after hatching.

Photo Courtesy of felixú / CC BY-SA 2.0

This species has a large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is described as fairly common.

Photo Courtesy of Andy Morffew / CC BY 2.0

Watch and listen to this bird right here below: