Scarlet-banded Barbet

Overview

The scarlet-banded barbet (Capito wallacei) is a strikingly coloured species of bird in the New World barbet family, Capitonidae. It is endemic to Peru and was formally described in 2000 following its discovery in 1996.

Identification

• A 19.5 cm long bird weighing 65 to 78 g with a scarlet cap and nape separated from black ear coverts by a broad white supercilium.
• Upperparts are mostly black, featuring a yellow mid-back and a large white rump patch.
• Underparts consist of a white throat and upper breast bordered by a broad scarlet band, with the rest of the belly in shades of yellow.
• Song is a fast, low-pitched trill resembling a woodpecker's drumming, accompanied by a guttural call.

Habitat

This species is restricted to the ridgetop of Peak 1538 within the remote Cordillera Azul National Park in south-western Loreto, Peru. It inhabits humid, mossy, sub-montane and montane forests at elevations between 1,350 and 1,500 m.

Diet

The scarlet-banded barbet forages in the forest canopy, typically in small groups of its own species or in mixed-species flocks. Its diet consists primarily of fruits and seeds, though it probably also takes insects.

Did you know?

The species' range is extremely restricted, estimated at only 1,944 square kilometres, with a total population of between 250 and 999 mature individuals as of 2023.