The
red-headed barbet (
Eubucco bourcierii) is a species of bird in the family Capitonidae, the New World barbets. It is found in Costa Rica, Guyana, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics: The red-headed barbet has six subspecies:
- E. b. salvini Shelley (1891)
- E. b. anomalus Griscom (1929)
- E. b. occidentalis Chapman (1914)
- E. b. bourcierii Lafresnaye (1845)
- E. b. aequatorialis Salvadori & Festa (1900)
- E. b. orientalis Chapman (1914)
Male red-headed barbet subspecies except
E. b. occidentalis range in weight from 30 to. Females except
occidentalis weigh 31 to. Male
occidentalis weigh and females . Males have a red head, an orange to yellow breast, and a white belly. A white collar separates the head from the olive green back. The amount of red on the throat and chest and the width of the orange-yellow breast band vary among the subspecies. The female´s crown and nape vary from dull orange to shades of green among the subspecies. Several have a black forehead. Its back is green, the throat grayish yellow with a yellow to orange band below it. Its lower breast is olive-yellow and the belly white. As in the male, there is some variation among subspecies.
Distribution and habitat: The subspecies of the red-headed barbet are found thus:
- E. b. salvini, Costa Rica and western Panama
- E. b. anomalus, eastern Panama and probably adjacent northwestern Colombia
- E. b. occidentalis, both slopes of Colombia´s Western Andes
- E. b. bourcierii, Andes of western Venezuela, the east slope of Colombia´s Central Andes, and both slopes of Colombia´s Eastern Andes
- E. b. aequatorialis, coastal mountains and the western slope of the Andes in Ecuador
- E. b. orientalis, eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru
The red-headed barbet inhabits the interior and borders of evergreen mountain primary forest and also adjacent secondary forest. The species´ overall elevational range is 400 to but there are large geographic variations.
Feeding: The red-headed barbet´s diet has not been studied in detail, but it is known to include arthropods such as caterpillars and adult insects and fruit such as berries and (at feeders) bananas.
Breeding: Little has been published about the red-headed barbet´s breeding phenology. Like other New World barbets, they excavate cavities in trees and sometimes in fence posts. The clutch size is two to five; the female incubates at night and both sexes do so during the day.
Vocalization: The red-headed barbet´s song has been described as "a resonant, ventriloquial, somewhat toad-like trill
krrrrrrrrrrr" . Some calls have been described as "grunts and snarls" .
Status: The IUCN has assessed the red-headed barbet as being of Least Concern. "Although the overall population trend is believed to be one of decline, the rate of decline is not thought to be a cause for concern."