D'Arnaud's barbet

D'Arnaud's barbet
Male
Female, Serengeti National Park
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Lybiidae
Genus: Trachyphonus
Species: T. darnaudii
Binomial name
Trachyphonus darnaudii
(Prévost & Des Murs, 1847)

D'Arnaud's barbet (Trachyphonus darnaudii) is an African barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Four geographical races (darnaudii, böhmi, emini and usambiro) have been recorded.

D'Arnaud's barbet is a small East African bird that feeds on insects, fruits, and seeds. It grows to about eight inches, and is equally at home in trees or on the ground. A vertical tunnel two to three feet into the ground with a sideways and upward turn leads to the nest chamber. In a striking dance the male and female face each on nearby twigs and twitch, bob and sing like mechanical toys.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2013). "Trachyphonus darnaudii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
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