Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii), male
Red-headed Barbet, Male

Red-headed Barbet

Eubucco bourcierii

The Red-headed Barbet, Eubucco bourcierii, presents a striking sexual dimorphism. Males are adorned with a vivid red head, a white belly, and an olive green back. A white collar elegantly separates the head from the back. Their breast ranges from orange to yellow, with variations in the red throat and chest extent, as well as the breadth of the orange-yellow breast band among subspecies. Females, on the other hand, display a crown and nape that may vary from dull orange to various shades of green, with some sporting a black forehead. Their back is green, the throat a grayish yellow with a yellow to orange band below it, and the lower breast is olive-yellow, transitioning to a white belly.

Identification Tips

To identify the Red-headed Barbet, look for the male's distinctive red head and white belly, contrasted by the olive green back and white collar. The female's identification relies on the variation of dull orange to green on the crown and nape, with a possible black forehead, and the yellow to orange band on the throat.

Habitat

This species favors the interior and edges of evergreen mountain primary forests, as well as adjacent secondary forests.

Distribution

The Red-headed Barbet is found across several countries in Central and South America, with subspecies distributed from Costa Rica to northern Peru.

Behaviour

While detailed studies are lacking, the Red-headed Barbet is known to partake in both arthropods and fruit in its diet. It is also observed to excavate nesting cavities in trees and occasionally in fence posts.

Song & Calls

The song of the Red-headed Barbet is a resonant, ventriloquial trill, likened to a toad's call. Additionally, it produces various grunts and snarls.

Breeding

Breeding behaviors are not extensively documented, but like their New World counterparts, they nest in tree cavities and have a clutch size ranging from two to five eggs. Both sexes share incubation duties, with the female taking the night shift.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Red-headed Barbet includes arthropods such as caterpillars and adult insects, as well as fruits like berries. They are also known to visit feeders for bananas.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the Red-headed Barbet as Least Concern, with a population trend that, while in decline, is not at a rate that currently warrants concern.

Red-headed Barbet Sounds


Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Red-headed Barbets on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More New World Barbets

A photo of a Gilded Barbet (Capito auratus) , male

Gilded Barbet

Capito auratus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Dunners12345
Great App
Great app to use for logging and communicating with others who are interested in birds
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Nick S
Work together with community
Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.