Species profile
About the crested barbet
The crested barbet is a plump, short-tailed bird in speckled yellow and red with a black crest and a broad black breast band. It is more often heard than seen: its call is a sustained trilling churr that can run unbroken for several minutes, one of the characteristic sounds of Tanzanian woodland.
In Tanzania it is a bird of the southern and western woodlands, reaching Ruaha, Mikumi and the Selous ecosystem. It feeds low down and on the ground and nests in a hole excavated in a dead branch.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Forages on the ground and in low vegetation, hopping heavily. Calls persistently from a concealed perch for long periods.
Social life
Monogamous pairs holding a territory year-round; both birds excavate the nest hole and feed the young.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
An unbroken trilling call that can last several minutes, and a heavy notched bill used to excavate nest holes in dead wood.