The name Barbet comes from the bristles around his beak - which makes this chap’s - the Bearded Barbet of Africa - two-part name rather redundant. He has the most pronouced barbets of any Barbet species.
These have senory nerve cells at their base, and probably are used in a manner similar to whiskers on a cat.
As has been noted, this fellow hails from Africa, where he favours dry woodland and is particularly fond of fig trees. His main diet consists of fruit, although chicks are fed on insects. as well. He is a social species, usually gathering in groups of 4-5 birds, who will roost together in a tree cavity.
Despite being a relatively popular cage bird and a frequent inhabitat of aviaries in zoos, little information seems to have been recorded on these rather charming birds.
No comments:
Post a Comment