Torito Cabecirrojo
Red-headed Barbet
Eubucco bourcierii
Song
Red-headed Barbet
Appearance: The Red-headed Barbet is a small, colorful barbet with a stout pale yellow bill. The male has a bright red head and throat, a narrow white collar, green upperparts, and yellowish underparts with orange or reddish tones on the breast. The female is different: she has a green back, yellowish underparts, a blue or turquoise face patch, a dark mask, and orange-yellow on the head and throat. This strong difference between male and female makes the species easy to recognize.
Habitat: It lives mainly in humid montane and foothill forest. It is found inside evergreen forest, along forest borders, in mature secondary forest, and sometimes near clearings or gardens with fruiting trees. It is usually a middle-elevation species, often found roughly from 500 to 2,400 m, depending on the region.
Behavior: The Red-headed Barbet usually forages in pairs or small family groups. It feeds on fruit, berries, and arthropods such as insects and caterpillars. It often stays in the middle and upper levels of the forest, moving quietly through foliage, but it may also visit fruit feeders in birding lodges or gardens.
Breeding: Like other New World barbets, it nests in cavities, which the birds excavate in trees and sometimes in softer posts or dead wood. The clutch is usually 2 to 5 eggs. Both male and female help with incubation during the day, while the female incubates at night.
Conservation Status: The Red-headed Barbet is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
MALE
FEMALE
Distribution
The Red-headed Barbet occurs mainly in the Andean region, especially in humid forests of the Western, Central, and Eastern Andes. One subspecies, Eubucco (bourcierii) occidentalis, occurs on both slopes of the Western Andes. The nominate form, Eubucco (bourcierii) bourcierii, occurs on the east slope of the Central Andes and on both slopes of the Eastern Andes. It may also occur in or near northwestern Colombia from eastern Panama.
Taxonomy
The Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (Birds)
- Order: Piciformes
- Family: Capitonidae
- Genus: Eubucco
- Species: bourcierii
Vocalization
Main Call: A repeated, nasal, slightly barking or croaking note, often described as “kraaa,” “krrrk,” “waak,” or “kak.” It may be given slowly and repeatedly from a perch.
Contact Calls: Shorter, softer notes are used between members of a pair or small group while foraging. These are usually low, nasal, and not very musical.
Alarm Calls: When disturbed, it may give sharper, harsher notes, often repeated more quickly. These calls can sound rough or scolding.
Territorial Calling: Males and females may call from trees to maintain contact or defend an area. The voice is not a long complex song, but rather a series of repeated notes.
Feeding Calls: Around fruiting trees or feeders, it may give short croaking notes, especially when interacting with another barbet or other birds.
