The Story
This White-mantled Barbet (Capito hypoleucus) was at Reserva Santa Librada in Líbano, Tolima, Colombia when I photographed it. The Red Book of the Birds of Colombia notes that it has lost 60 percent of its historic habitat. Females have a black spot at the base of the lower bill. It typically forages in pairs or family groups and may follow mixed-species flocks. It is found only in Colombia, in the middle Magdalena Valley between about 200 and 1,800 meters. Its population is declining, mainly because of habitat loss. Coffee is the center of Líbano’s economy and culture.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the White-mantled Barbet as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The White-mantled Barbet (Capito hypoleucus) 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 2023), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List