Yellow-spotted Barbet

Overview

The yellow-spotted barbet (Buccanodon duchaillui) is a bird species in the monotypic genus Buccanodon within the African barbet family, Lybiidae. It is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List and may represent a species complex, with the western subspecies recognised as distinct by the International Ornithological Congress in 2023.

Identification

• The eastern subspecies produces a characteristic purring call lasting 1–2 seconds, phoneticised as 'rrurrrrrr…', which is unique among African barbets.
• The western subspecies calls a series of 7–10 accelerating notes phoneticised as 'oop', similar to the song of the hairy-breasted barbet.

Habitat

Found across a range in Africa spanning Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda. The eastern subspecies ranges across eastern and central Africa west to Nigeria, while the western subspecies is found from Sierra Leone to Togo.

Did you know?

The western subspecies was formally described as a distinct species in 2019 primarily on the basis of its unique song, although it was tentatively retained as a subspecies in 2023 after other studies revealed significant divergences elsewhere in the range, suggesting the overall species may be a complex.