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Who doesn’t love birds, right? They are one of the most beautiful forms of nature which don’t fail to surprise us with their appealing beauty! Every time we see a bird full of colors, we’d just pause and start admiring it. Let us start with some interesting facts about birds that you probably never knew of.
Did you know that there are 10,000 different species of birds that exist on our planet? They come in different sizes from big to small and in different colors as well, of course. On the other hand, it’s not just humans who migrate to other countries, birds do too! It’s often due to the weather in different countries or places. Also, birds are great communicators. One of the reasons for them to communicate is to attract a mate or to warn their fellow birds if there’s danger nearby. Interesting, right?
The main feature that distinguishes birds from other animals is their plumage. In case you are not aware of what plumage is, plumage is the term used to refer to a bird’s feathers. The plumage is one distinct feature that separates birds from other animals when they are in close proximity. Though different birds have their own distinct features in comparison to other birds, this particular unique feature of plumage does put birds into a different group of animals.
We will be giving the floor to the beautiful bird species called Red-headed barbet. They belong to the Capitonidae family of birds. Though it is quite self-explanatory given the bird is named red-headed barbet, this bird’s head is of a very bright red color. The color from the head stretches till the neck and a little more below till it reaches the orange-yellow chest. The yellow-orange chest expands into the white belly. The bird has a cape of green feathers with the tips of the feathers dipped in ebony color.
It also has a white lining around the back of its neck just above its feathers. This white stripe makes the red look more vivid and sharpens the contrast with the green feathers.
Just like other species, the female barbet is not as vibrant in colors as the male. The colors on the female barbet’s body are duller in their tones. Female barbet is overall green in its feathers. It has a grey patch around the eyes and a vibrant yellow ring around the town and a little crown of the same color. The chest is orange-yellow instead of the male’s red-colored chest. The chest extends to a yellow stomach and below to whitish feathers underneath. The forehead of the female barbet is black.
Barbets are found across Costa Rica and Panama, just like snowcaps. They are also found in both slopes of the western Andes of Columbia, the west slope of Andes of Ecuador as well as the eastern slope of the Andes of Colombia. They habituate in the eastern slopes of Ecuador and Northern Peru as well. Barbets are more fond of settling in mountain evergreen forests and forest borders. They are known to live at least 400-2,400 meters above the ground.
Barbets breed in their breeding season that stretches from March to June. The interesting thing about this species is that they participate in duets to communicate with mates and show their interest. The duets are coordinated very precisely and can be complex by nature. Barbets work and invest their time into forming the suitable duet that they sing to other birds of interest. Once barbets mate, the female bird begins to prepare a nest for her babies. They built the nest in a cavity in the tree or a fence post. Birds of these species are able to lay from two to five eggs. The eggs are incubated for around 15 days. Unlike some other birds like snowcaps, males of this species assist their mates during the daytime. They play a significant role in helping the female in feeling the hatchlings during the daytime for at least 31-42 days. Once the little chicks have developed and grown enough to be able to fly and live on their own, they leave the nest.
Red-headed barbets’ diet is not well-researched. There are not a lot of studies on this but according to the information that has been gathered yet, these species seek arthropods and insects in their main diet. Insects are mostly caterpillars and adult insects e.g. scorpions, earwigs, flies, etc. They do not only like to devour insects but also like to eat fruits e.g. berries and bananas if they ever find them around.
Here is a beautiful red-headed barbet having its meal! We have no clue what it is eating but it kind of looks like a meshed fruit or caterpillar. The way the red color quickly shifts into the yellow color on the stomach makes the barbet look so fiery. You can almost see a hint of red in the inky black eyes. The green cape of feathers looks so smooth, you all must be feeling the urge to touch it too! Reading about such cool birds and animals makes you want to camp in a forest and experience life there first-hand. There is a lot that one cannot capture in a picture and only a wild-life photographer or forest travelers know what real life is in the wild.
These pictures of beautiful creatures bring so much to one’s imagination that an urge springs up to move to a forest. Well, that would not be appropriate since humans should not invade the habitats of the wildlife, but I hope we all get to visit at least once as it’s definitely a lifetime experience! In the end, we would like to know whether you are also enthralled by the red-headed barbet like we are? Share your enthusiasm with us in the comments below!
