White-mantled barbet

The white-mantled barbet (Capito hypoleucus) is a species of bird in the family Capitonidae. It is endemic to Colombia.

White-mantled barbet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Capitonidae
Genus: Capito
Species:
C. hypoleucus
Binomial name
Capito hypoleucus
Salvin, 1897

Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane forests, pastureland, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1897 by the English ornithologist Osbert Salvin, based on a sample collected by Antwerp Edgar Pratt in Antioquia Department.[2] The species name is derived from the Latin capito - big-headed, and the Ancient Greek hupo - beneath, and leukos - white.[3]

Three subspecies are recognized:

  • capito hypoleucus hypoleucus - Bolivar to Antioquia (nw Colombia)
  • capito hypoleucus carrikeri - Antioquia (nw Colombia)
  • capito hypoleucus extinctus - Magdalena Valley (c Colombia)[4]

Description

One of the larger barbets, with an average length of 19cm. The bird has black upperparts with narrow pale lines on the nape and scapulars. These lines are not easy to see because the bird is mostly observed higher up in the canopy of tall trees. The forehead and crown are red. The bird's underparts are white with a slight yellowish wash and a flush of cinnamon on the breast. They eyes are red, the large, chunky bill is yellowish, and the legs and feet are greenish-grey. Females have a black spot at the base of the lower mandible.[5]

Distribution and Habitat

The white-mantled barbet is found in the Middle Magdalena Valley of Colombia at altitudes between 200 and 1800m.[6]

It is a bird of the tropical zone, inhabiting humid forests on montane slopes, forest patches with a mosaic of pastures, secondary forest and plantations mixed with fruiting trees.[5]

Behaviour and Ecology

Feeding

These barbets typically forage in pairs or family groups, and may follow mixed-species feeding flocks. They mostly stay in the forest canopy, but will come down and into the open at fruiting trees such as mango and Cecropia.[5]

Threats

The white-mantled barbet population is declining, primarily due to habitat loss. The IUCN Red List classifies the species as Vulnerable. The Red Book of the Birds of Colombia, noting that the species has lost 60% of its historic habitat and that that habitat continues to decrease, lists the bird as Endangered. The primary causes of this habitat loss are illicit cultivation, overuse of insecticides, and small-scale gold mining.[7]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Capito hypoleucus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Salvin, Osbert (1897). "...descriptions of five species of South-American birds". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. XLVII: xvi-xvii. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  3. Jobling, James A. (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 90, 199. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. Gill, F; Donsker, D; Rasmussen, P (Eds.). "IOC WORLD BIRD LIST (10.2". Retrieved 12 January 2021.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  5. Restall, Robin; Rodner, Clemencia; Lentino, Miguel (2007). Birds of Northern South America: an Identification Guide. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. Vol 1 pp 301-302. ISBN 978-0-300-10862-0.
  6. McMullan, Miles (2018). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Rey Naranjo Editores. p. 161. ISBN 978-958-8969-77-0.
  7. Renjifro, Luis Miguel; Amaya-Villareal, Ángela María; Burbano-Girón, Jaime; Velásquez-Tibatá, Jorge (2016). Libro rojo de aves de Colombia, Vol 2. Bogotá: Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana: Instituto Humboldt. ISBN 978-958-716-980-5.
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