scarlet banded barbet

Description:

Only relatively recently discovered. A boldly patterned barbet with white throat, bright yellow breast and flanks, black wings, tail and eye stripe and a striking scarlet breast band and crown. 19cm long and a very distinctive call sounding like a loud deep purr or distant woodpecker drumming.

Habitat:

A highly restricted range found on only one ridge top known as Peak 1538 in humid mountian forest in the Cordillera Azul National Park in Peru. (1300-1550m) Although these birds are considered fairly common in their range, because the range is so small, the estimated world population is thought to be under 1,000 individuals and as such this species has a classification of VU. Peruvian endemic.

Notes:

Only discovered in the late 1990's and formally described in 2000. This bird was reasonably accommodating, although, as is the barbet way, it sat behind a leaf and was reluctant to move. Hence my image is quite leafy!! I was at the site for three days and saw 2 different birds and heard others but the most distressing part, was seeing the ongoing habitat destruction by the local people for their subsistence farming operations. Ref. Bird Life, Wikipedia.