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RED AND YELLOW BARBET

SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
 

HABITAT:  Open woodland, wooded grassland, scrubland, and edges of deserts with lush streamside vegetation in Central Eastern Africa (parts of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, and Ethiopia).

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CONSERVATION STATUS:   Least Concern

FUN FACT:  They are aggressive with other species, especially at food sources and around their nesting and roosting sites.  They frequently mob hawks, owls, and terrestrial predators. 

DIET:  Figs, other fruits, and their seeds, as well as spiders, various insects and larvae, lizards, centipedes, small birds and eggs; also takes household refuse, including bread, cereal, hamburger, and fruits

DESCRIPTION:  Red-and-yellow barbets are small, sturdy birds with short necks, large heads, and strong, pointed beaks.  They are up to 9 inches long.  Their upperparts are spotted and streaked with red, yellow, white, and black, and the underparts are yellow.  The tail is black with elongated yellowish spots.  The beak is bright red or orange, and there is a large, half-moon shaped patch of white around each ear opening.  The male has a black cap and black throat patch, and a small crest.  They travel with undulating flight, resembling woodpeckers in the air.

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