Garden birds of Alberton: The black-collared barbet
The black-collared barbet is a common resident found in Alberton gardens.
The black-collared barbet is a common resident found in Alberton gardens.
The bird is characterised by its red forehead and face. The red face is surrounded by a dark black region that serves to form the collar it was named after. The bill of the barbet is black and very heavy. The wings are largely brown and the bird’s underside is pale in colour.
Black-collared barbets are largely fruit eaters. It supplements its diet with nectar and occasionally insects and some small vertebrates. The availability of both fruit and nectar in gardens means this bird frequents gardens and is commonly seen in fruit trees.
Nesting habits for the black-collared barbet are similar to other barbets in the region. Both members of a breeding pair construct a hollow in a dead branch. A way to attract these birds to the garden is to provide them with a sisal log which they can use for their nest.
Rarely a black-collared barbet can have yellow replacing the red on the face.
Sources:
https://www.wilkinsonsworld.com/2011/09/18/bird-of-the-week-week-89-black-collared-barbet/
https://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/birds/lybiidae/lybius_torquatus.htm
Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa
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