Scarlet-banded Barbet

About the Scarlet-banded Barbet

The scarlet-banded barbet (Capito wallacei) is a species of bird in the New World barbet family, Capitonidae. It is endemic to Peru. The scarlet-belted barbet was discovered in 1996 and formally described in 2000. According to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the species is monotypic. However, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and the Clements taxonomy consider the Sira barbet (Capito fitzpatricki) as a subspecies of scarlet-banded barbet. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birds of the World acknowledges that Sira barbet is significantly different from the nominate and suggests that it be accorded species rank.

The scarlet-banded barbet is 19.5 cm (7.7 in) long and weighs 65 to 78 g (2.3 to 2.8 oz). A strikingly colored species, its cap and nape are scarlet, while a broad white supercilium separates the crown from the black ear coverts. Most of the upperparts are black except for a yellow mid-back and large white rump patch. Below, the throat and upper breast are white, bordered below by a broad scarlet band, while the rest of the underparts are shades of yellow.... Wikipedia →