''Lybius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of African barbets from the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Lybiidae 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, with ...

(formerly included in the Capitonidae and sometimes in the

Ramphastidae 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 ...

). This genus ranges across sub-Saharan

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Description

The ''Lybius'' species are usually about long, plump-looking, with large heads, and their heavy bill is fringed with bristles. Almost all species in this genus are characterized by their red feathers on the head or around the eyes, but there is a great variety of morphology in this genus. There are barbets like the

white-headed barbet The white-headed barbet (''Lybius leucocephalus'') is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda ...

that have no red on the head at all, and species like the

double-toothed barbet The double-toothed barbet (''Lybius bidentatus'') is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equ ...

with all red feathers on the ventral side of the body and head, but with only black on the dorsal side. Pretty much all species in this genus have striking plumage, consisting of red, black, yellow or white colors. These are also mainly solitary birds that eat fruit, insects and small vertebrates like lizards.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Lybius'' belongs to the order

Piciformes Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes , the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. The Piciformes contain about 71 living genera with a little over 450 species, of ...

, which contains 8 families, including the woodpecker family."Birds of Africa: Barbets."
Birds of Africa: Barbets. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. A couple of decades ago, all barbets were thought to be of one family, but studies of mitochondrial DNA and DNA hybridization in the early 1990s have led to barbets being split into three families: Asian barbets (

Megalaimidae The Asian barbets are a family of bird species, the Megalaimidae, comprising two genera with 35 species native to the forests of the Indomalayan realm from Tibet to Indonesia. They were once clubbed with all barbets in the family Capitonidae bu ...

), African barbets (

), and American barbets ( Capitonidae). The family Lybiidae has a total of 42 species that occur throughout the continent of Africa from the tip of the Cape Peninsula to the fringes of the Sahara desert. Out of the 42 species in this family, ''Lybius'' contains 12 barbet species. These are the most frequently encountered group of African barbets."Africa’s Barbets."
10,000 Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.

Extant species

It contains the following species:

Bird calls

Most of the ''Lybius'' species use duetting as a way to mark one's territory and to find a mate. Mates must have coordinating duets in order to be a proper match for each other, which means lone singers are very uncommon in the duetting barbet species. Duet songs are species-specific, and only paired duetting barbets can hold a territory, which is why lone singers are rarely seen. There are four known duetting species in this genus: ''Lybius vieilloti'', ''L. leucocephalus'', ''L. rubrifacies'', and ''L. torquatus''. The duetting of ''L. chaplini'' and ''L. undatus'' is unknown.Short, Lester L., and Jennifer F. Horne. "A Review of Duetting, Sociality and Speciation In Some African Barbets (Capitonidae)." Condor 85.3 (1983): 323-32. Web. The behavioral significance of duetting probably involves sex recognition and the maintenance of a pair bond.Payne, R. B., and N. J. Skinner. "Temporal Patterns of Duetting in African Barbets." Ibis 112.2 (1970): 173-183. Web. Generally, the barbets in the duet will bow ceremoniously to each other while singing. In addition to bowing, certain African barbet species, like '' Lybius vieilloti'' and ''

Lybius torquatus The black-collared barbet (''Lybius torquatus'') is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae which is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Indigenous names include ''Rooikophoutkapper'' in Afrikaans, ''isiKhulukhulu'' and ''isiQonQotho'' in Zulu, and ' ...

'', will incorporate a snarl into their duet. The snarl might actually be how the duets are initiated in this species. When duetting, each bird will pick up the song from where the other bird left off. The time interval between when one bird ends the duet and when the other bird begins the song again is called the "auditory response time". Basically, the auditory response time is the minimum time required for the barbet to hear the notes and respond to them.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1083774 Bird genera Barbets ca:Líbid sw:Zuwakulu ru:Африканские бородатки