Scarlet-banded Barbet Capito wallacei Scientific name definitions

Also known as the Scarlet-belted Barbet, this stunningly beautiful bird constitutes one of the most dramatic ornithological discoveries of recent years. To date, it is known solely from an isolated plateau covered in cloud forest between the rivers Huallaga and Ucayali, in north-central Peru, where the population is estimated to number fewer than 1000 individuals. In consequence, BirdLife International treats the Scarlet-banded Barbet as Vulnerable to extinction. Fortunately, the barbet’s montane home is remote, which should help serve to protect it. The cap and nape are scarlet, while a broad white supercilium separates the crown from the black ear coverts. Most of the upperparts are black, relieved by the yellow back and large white rump patch. Below, the throat and upper breast are white, bordered below by a broad scarlet band, while the rest of the underparts are yellow, becoming paler distally. Its nest and eggs remain unknown, and most aspects of its natural history are poorly studied.