Black-collared Barbets have a bright red face, throat and upper breast, bordered by a broad, black collar. The large, heavy bill is fringed with bristles that is characteristic of the Lybius genus.

Juveniles lack the red face which is initially brownish.

These barbets are sexually monomorphic, which means that there is generally no phenotypic difference between the males and females of this species. The morphology, size and behavior are basically the same.

Scientific name:

Lybius torquatus

Common names:

Black-collared Barbet (English)
Rooikophoutkapper (Afrikaans)

Roberts VII english name:

Black-collared Barbet

Roberts VII scientific name:

Lybius torquatus

Family:

African Barbets (Lybiidae)

Length:

20cm

Weight:

54g

Diet:

These barbets are mostly solitary birds that eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. They will often visit plantations and find food there.

They eat fruits whole and the seed pits are regurgitated later.

Black-collared Barbets have been observed feeding on insects, centipedes, lizards, frogs and geckos, though this is uncommon.

Habits:

The Black-collared Barbet is one of the many duetting species in the Lybius genus and it regularly uses duetting in its day-to-day life. There are no solitary song instances heard by this species. This species is readily recognized by its loud duet, commonly rendered as "too-poudle too-poudle" repeated 10 to 20 times, accompanied by wing-flicking. In addition to the wing-flicking, the birds in the pair face each other while calling and lean forward while bowing ceremoniously to each other. This bird produces a variety of calls including its snarling warning call and loud buzzing. The snarling could be the initiating sound of the duet.

The "too-poudle" song is actually an antiphonal duet. That means that one bird out of the pair sings the first note "too", then the other bird in the pair sings the second note "pouddle". To bystanders, this does not sound like it comes from two different birds.

Nesting:

Breeding season from December to February.

45 to 55mm holes are excavated in dead tree trunks.

The nests are sometimes parasitised by the Lesser Honeyguide.

Natural distribution:

The Black-collared Barbet is found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Habitat:

Mostly well-wooded habitats especially riparian forest where there is plenty of fruit.