D'Arnaud's barbet

D'Arnaud's barbet
File:D Arnauds Barbet.jpg
Male
File:2009-darnauds-barbet.jpg
Female, Serengeti National Park
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Lybiidae
Genus:	Trachyphonus
Species:	T. darnaudii
Binomial name
Trachyphonus darnaudii (Prévost & Des Murs, 1847)

D'Arnaud's barbet (Trachyphonus darnaudii) is an African barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Four geographical races (darnaudii, böhmi, emini and usambiro) have been recorded.

D'Arnaud's barbet is a small East African bird that feeds on insects, fruits, and seeds. It grows to about eight inches, and is equally at home in trees or on the ground. A vertical tunnel two to three feet into the ground with a sideways and upward turn leads to the nest chamber. In a striking dance the male and female face each on nearby twigs and twitch, bob and sing like mechanical toys.

References

• Animal, Smithsonian Institution, 2005