Gilded Barbet

About the Gilded Barbet

The gilded barbet (Capito auratus) is a species of bird in the family Capitonidae, the New World barbets, and a close relative of the toucans. It has a total length of c. 20 cm (8 in). Like other New World barbets, the gilded barbet is a thickset, relatively large-headed bird with a stubby bill. The upperparts, tail, wings, and mask are mainly black. The spotty bar over the greater wing coverts, narrow edging to the remiges, and tips to the tertials are yellow. Additionally, the narrow yellow eyebrows extend as two parallel lines over the mantle. The belly is mainly pale yellow with black streaking on the flanks. Depending on the subspecies, the throat ranges from red to orange, and the crown ranges from deep yellow to brownish-orange to reddish-orange. The female resembles the male but has extensive orange-yellow edging on the wing-coverts, yellowish streaking on the auriculars and back, and black streaking on the flanks that also extends over the chest. In females from the westernmost part of its range (subspecies punctatus), the throat is streaked black. Both sexes have dark maroon irides, greyish legs, and a broadly black-tipped grey bill. Wikipedia →