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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Barbets

It's been a number of years since I spent the whole winter in our Free State home, here in South Africa. So I didn't realize that the two species of barbets which are resident in our garden, are here for most of the year. Previously I've posted about the Crested Barbet (and even managed to record its call for posting) and also the Black-collared Barbet. Now I'm posting about them both.

 Crested Barbet
Perched in our peach tree with the boundary wall as a suitable backdrop for my photos!

The crest, which gives this Barbet its name is quite flat. When this bird calls, the crest is upright

The Crested Barbet is a common resident. It favors drier woodland, but has adapted well to suburban areas. It's omnivorous: takes insects on the ground and feeds on a wide range of fruits . It has been recorded taking nectar. Its call is a loud and sustained unmusical tr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r ... likened to an alarm clock. It's monogamous and breeds in a hole excavated in the underside of  dead stump.
Black-collared Barbet

This Barbet is a common resident and widely distributed.  Usually in pairs and remain thus throughout the season. They favor woodland habitats where fruit-bearing trees are abundant. They're mainly frugivorous and are partial to figs. Their call is a synchronized duet ; one bird giving "two" with the second bird "pouddle" creating "two-poudle; two-poudle" often repeated 10 - 20 times,  with the birds usually facing each other. They're probably monogamous, sometimes with nest helpers from the previous season's offspring. They excavate a hole in a dead tree stump

I'm linking my post to Wild Bird Wednesday here

Happy Wednesday to you all and Happy Birding to all my birder friends! 



9 comments:

  1. Interesting-looking birds. I love the bits of red.

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  2. Hello Jo, both of your Barbets are gorgeous birds. It is nice you are seeing both of them are seen in your garden! Great shots! Enjoy your day!

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  3. they are AMAZING to me... really different than any i have ever seen...

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  4. What a cool looking bird. Love the Crested variety.

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  5. I like the barbet family of birds. It's from when I saw a couple of species on my travels but not in the UK of course.

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  6. Both are wonderful-looking birds! Yum....figs! :-)

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  7. Barbet - sounds like a child of Barb :)
    Not just a cool name, but an awesome looking bird too.
    Nice photos, Ms. Jo!
    Have a Great Day!
    Peace :)

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