Prong-billed Barbet

Prong-billed Barbet

Semnornis frantzii

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park
458 Verified sightings at Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,526 Verified sightings across all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Prong-billed Barbet

The prong-billed barbet (Semnornis frantzii) is a distinctive, relatively large-billed bird native to humid highland forest of Costa Rica and western Panama. The prong-billed barbet was traditionally placed in family Capitonidae sensu lato with both Neotropic and Old World barbets. However, morphological, hybridization, and DNA studies have confirmed that this arrangement is paraphyletic; New World barbets are more closely related to toucans than they are to Old World barbets. Therefore New World (Capitonidae sensu stricto), African (Lybiidae), and Asian (Megalaimidae) barbets were each accorded their own families. The prong-billed barbet and the toucan barbet (Semnornis ramphastinus) were placed in the new family Semnornithidae.

The prong-billed barbet is monotypic. Its specific epithet commemorates the German naturalist Alexander von Frantzius. The prong-billed barbet is 17 to 18.5 cm (6.7 to 7.3 in) long and weighs about 60 to 70 g (2.1 to 2.5 oz). Its bill is silvery gray to bluish with a dark tip; a notch on the tip of the mandible provides its English name. The maxilla has a hooked tip and a notch on the side. Adults have a dull... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~50%
2 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
7 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
9 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Prong-billed Barbet in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Prong-billed Barbet sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park, based on 458 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Prong-billed Barbet in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for Prong-billed Barbet in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park in our monthly data.

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