The Versicoloured Barbet is a very colorful species of bird in the family Capitonidae, the New World barbets. It is found in Bolivia and Peru, where it inhabits evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, mangroves, and clearings with tall trees. It is named after Georg Steller, a German naturalist who first described it in 1776.
The Versicoloured Barbet has a black bill, a stout body, and a long tail. It measures about 16 cm (6.3 in) in length and weighs about 28 to 41 g (0.99 to 1.45 oz). It has three subspecies, which differ in their plumage, but all the males have a red face and crown and green to blue-green upperparts. The males’ lower breasts are red and their bellies yellowish with green streaks, though the size and shape of the red vary. The females have a greenish cap, blue malars with a yellow edge, and a blue throat with a thin red band below it.
The Versicoloured Barbet feeds mostly on ants and termites, which it catches on the wing or pecks from tunnels and bark. It also eats other insects, seeds, nuts, berries, eggs, and small animals. It sometimes visits bird feeders, where it may compete with other birds for food. It has a loud and harsh voice, and can produce a variety of sounds, including imitations of other birds, animals, and human noises. It has a distinctive chuckling call note, and a song that resembles a robin’s but is clearer and less nasal.
The Versicoloured Barbet breeds from March to June, depending on the location. It builds a cup-shaped nest of twigs, moss, and mud, usually in a conifer tree. The female lays 3 to 6 eggs, which are greenish or bluish with brown spots. The male helps to incubate the eggs and feed the young. The chicks fledge after about 16 days, and stay with their parents for another month or so.
The Versicoloured Barbet is a resident bird that does not migrate. It is not threatened by extinction, and has a large and stable population. However, it may face some threats from habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, as well as from predators, parasites, and diseases. Therefore, it is important to protect and conserve its natural environment, and to appreciate its beauty and role in the ecosystem.
