Red-headed Barbet

The Story

I made this photo of a Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) at Ecoparque Los Alcázares in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. A white collar separates the male’s red head from its olive green back. Like other New World barbets, it digs nest cavities in trees and sometimes in fence posts. Males have a red head, an orange to yellow breast and a white belly. Ecoparque Los Alcázares Arenillo protects 34 hectares of high Andean humid forest on the southwest side of Manizales, at 1,900 to 2,000 meters. IUCN lists the Red-headed Barbet as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.

I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. The ecoparque works to protect the wildlife that moves along Manizales’ natural corridors and to help restore the city’s ecological capital.

The bird

The Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) belongs to the family Capitonidae (New World Barbets) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.

Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)

Conservation

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List