One of Africa’s most colorful and charismatic birds, easily recognized by its vibrant patchwork of colors and its bold, trilling call that seems to fill the air wherever it lives. Native to southern Africa, especially in countries like South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, the crested barbet thrives in a variety of habitats, from woodlands and savannas to gardens and suburban parks. With its loud personality, bright feathers, and quirky habits, it is truly one of the most beloved small birds of the African bush.
Its feathers are a wild, beautiful explosion of yellow, red, black, and white, with a prominent shaggy crest on its head that it often raises when excited or calling. The bird’s back and wings are speckled black and white, its belly is bright yellow, and its throat and face glow with fiery reds and oranges. No two individuals look exactly alike, giving every crested barbet its own unique, painterly flair.
Crested barbets are omnivorous, with a varied diet that includes fruits, insects, spiders, seeds, and even small reptiles. They are particularly fond of figs and other soft fruits, making them important seed dispersers in the ecosystems they inhabit. Thanks to their strong, slightly hooked bills, they are also skilled at digging into termite mounds and prying insects out of tree bark. Their feeding habits sometimes bring them close to human dwellings, where they are welcome visitors to fruit trees and gardens.
The crested barbet is an excellent excavator! It often digs its own nest cavities in tree trunks, dead branches, or even termite mounds. If an ideal cavity isn’t available, it will hammer tirelessly with its beak until it creates one, sometimes even chasing off other birds to claim prime nesting spots.
Distribution
Angola
Botswana
Burundi
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
Eswatini
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
ZimbabweAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
