D'Arnaud's barbet (''Trachyphonus darnaudii'') is a species of

African barbet The African barbets are birds in the family Lybiidae. There are 43 species ranging from the type genus ''Lybius'' of forest interior to the tinkerbirds (''Pogoniulus'') of forest and scrubland. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, w ...

. Barbets and

toucans Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...

are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Four geographical races (''darnaudii'', ''böhmi'', ''emini'' and ''usambiro'') have been recorded. The 2021 taxonomic update to the IOC World Bird List upgraded the usambiro

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

to species status as Usambiro barbet / ''Trachyphonus usambiro''. D'Arnaud's barbet is a small East African bird that feeds on insects, fruits, and seeds. It grows to about eight inches, and is equally at home in trees or on the ground. A vertical tunnel two to three feet into the ground with a sideways and upward turn leads to the nest chamber. In a striking dance the male and female face each on nearby twigs and twitch, bob and sing like mechanical toys. The species was named in honour of the French explorer and engineer Joseph Pons d'Arnaud.

References

D'Arnaud's barbet Birds of East Africa D'Arnaud's barbet D'Arnaud's barbet {{Piciformes-stub