The Usambiro barbet (''Trachyphonus usambiro'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the African barbet family Lybiidae. It was formerly considered a subspecies of

D'Arnaud's barbet D'Arnaud's barbet (''Trachyphonus darnaudii'') is a species of African barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy b ...

, along with Emin's barbet, but was split as a distinct species by the

IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

in 2021. It varies from the nominate in having a longer wing, shorter tail, darker bill. The Usambiro barbet was originally described as a subspecies of D'Arnaud's barbet in 1908 by

Oscar Rudolph Neumann Oscar Rudolph Neumann (3 September 1867 in Berlin – 17 May 1946 in Chicago) was a German ornithologist and naturalist who explored and collected specimens in Africa. He fled via Cuba and settled in the United States to escape Nazi persecutio ...

from a specimen collected in Usambiro in Tanzania. It is now treated as a valid species in its own right.del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Kirwan, G.M. (2017). Usambiro Barbet (''Trachyphonus usambiro''). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/467444 on 10 March 2017). It is found in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, and is found in Maasai Mara National Reserve and

Serengeti National Park The Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over . It is located entirely in eastern Mara Region and north east portion of Simiyu Region and contains over of virgin savanna. The park was established in ...

. The species inhabits open areas including savannah, grassland, shrubland and pastures. It ranges from above sea-level. Where the species' range overlaps with the

Red-and-yellow barbet The red-and-yellow barbet (''Trachyphonus erythrocephalus'') is a species of African barbet found in eastern Africa. Males have distinctive black (spotted white), red, and yellow plumage; females and juveniles are similar, but less brightly color ...

, this species will avoid the streambeds favoured by the larger red-and-yellow barbet and occupies flat areas. The Usambiro barbet is long and weighs . The head is yellow with black spots and the wings are black with white spots. The breast is also yellow with a dark breast band. The belly is pale yellow with a reddish vent. The sexes are similar. The diet of this species is assumed to be the same as the D'Arnaud's barbet, comprising seeds, fruit and a wide range of insects.

References

* BirdLife International 2004.
Trachyphonus usambiro

2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Downloaded on 27 July 2007. {{Taxonbar, from=Q5419861 Usambiro barbet Birds of East Africa Usambiro barbet Taxa named by Oscar Neumann Taxonomy articles created by Polbot