The red-and-yellow barbet is a species of African barbet found in eastern Africa. Males have distinctive black, red, and yellow plumage; females and juveniles are similar, but less brightly colored. The species lives in broken terrain and nests and roosts in burrows. Omnivorous, the species feeds on seeds, fruit, and invertebrates. Where not hunted, they are tame, but their feathers are used by certain tribes, such as the Maasai.
Region
East Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Ethiopia and Somalia through Kenya and northern Tanzania, with a preference for dry savanna, acacia scrub, and rocky, broken terrain. It favors edges of riverbanks, road cuttings, and gullies where suitable earthen walls allow burrow excavation. The species also frequents termite mounds and sparsely wooded slopes. It adapts well to human-modified areas, including villages and pastoral lands, provided there is scattered cover and bare ground.
Altitude Range
0–2000 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
This striking East African barbet nests and even roosts in burrows dug into earthen banks or termite mounds. Pairs often perform loud duets and visual displays, flicking their wings and bowing. Where not persecuted they can be surprisingly confiding around settlements. Feathers of this species are traditionally used for ornamentation by some groups, including the Maasai.
Adult female nominate
Temperament
confiding yet territorial
Flight Pattern
short, undulating flight with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs or small family groups within permanent territories. Both sexes excavate burrows in earthen banks or termite mounds for nesting and roosting. Clutches are small, and both parents share incubation and chick-rearing duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, ringing series of repetitive notes often delivered as coordinated duets between mates. Calls carry far across open country and may be accompanied by visible head-bobbing and wing flicks.
Plumage
Boldly patterned with a mix of red, yellow, black, and white; wings and back show prominent white spotting on black. Underparts are yellow with variable black spotting and barring. Females and immatures are duller and less extensively red than males.
Diet
Omnivorous, taking a mix of fruits, seeds, and a wide variety of invertebrates such as beetles, termites, ants, and grasshoppers. It will glean insects from the ground, crevices, and low shrubs. During termite emergences it feeds actively on the swarming alates. Small vertebrates and eggs are occasionally taken.
Preferred Environment
Forages mostly on the ground and in low vegetation within dry scrub and open savanna. Often works along rocky slopes, around termite mounds, and at the edges of paths, cut banks, and settlements.
