Chaplin's Barbet Lybius chaplini Scientific name definitions

c. 19 cm; 64–75 g. Both sexes white, with blackish wings and tail , and red face ; wings edged yellow; bill prominently notched. Differs from <em>L. leucocephalus</em> in having red and yellow in plumage. Immature duller, without red, and paler, bill lacking or with just trace of ‘tooth’, with lax plumage (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

SC Zambia: in area between Kafue Park and Moshi, in W, E to Lusaka.

Woodland edges, including Brachystegia (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), pastures and open areas with scattered fruiting trees, wooded streamsides, and gardens with nearby fruit trees; almost completely restricted to areas where fig Ficus sycomorus is abundant. Recorded at elevations between 980 m and 1350 m (2 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ).

Resident and sedentary, but irregular occurrence reported in some parts of range, including within core area, perhaps according to availability of figs (2 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ).

Little known; eats figs and various fruits and berries, also undetermined insects. Occasionally even visits ground for fallen fruit (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Gleans in foliage of (non-fruiting) bushes and trees, hops over bark of limbs, probes into mosses and debris on bark, and flycatches from perch, sometimes even hovering to secure prey (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Groups (sometimes larger than normal) (2 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ) visit fruiting trees, may cross open areas 400 m or more wide to reach these; forages up to 1 km from nest or roost. Excludes L. torquatus and Red-faced Mousebirds (Urocolius indicus) from fruiting trees (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Conspicuous greeting chorus involving all of group (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) with buzzy, grating notes, nasal “put-ut-ut-” and audible bill-snapping, sometimes leading into 15–35-seconds (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) duet by two, occasionally three, of the group, the song a noisy cackle that speeds up (from 15–18 notes/second to 45 notes) (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), resembles that of L. rubrifacies but sets of notes less precise; also “snip-et” calls in aggression, squawking “yekka-yek-awk” calls at honeyguides (Indicator) and L. torquatus (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), “chough” calls, soft “wup” notes. Bill-tapping at nest entrance during change-overs, bill-wiping and wing-flicking sounds in aggression.

Aug–Nov; also reported in Feb (perhaps erroneously) (2 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ), although such late nestings possibly due to interference from Lesser Honeyguide (Indicator minor), which may succeed in parasitizing up to 50% of barbet nests (3 Spottiswoode, C., Leonard, P. and Mills, M. (2005). Little-known African Bird: Chaplin’s Barbet Lybius chaplini, Zambia’s fig-loving endemic, Bull. Afr. Bird Club. 12(1): 50–52. Close ). Nests in groups, typically comprising 2–5 adults and four immatures. In greeting ceremonies, birds hop from side to side, jump over one another, wave one or both wings, bow, swing body, spread and flick tail feathers, move tail up and down or side to side, erect head feathers, and one bird may cock tail; L. torquatus pairs or groups often elicit calls and chases, and these two species probably never nest within 150–200 m of each other (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); they compete for nest-holes. Nest excavated by all group-members, usually at height of 3–9 m (but up to 18 m) (2 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ) in dead tree or, more usually, branch of live tree, such as Ficus sycomorus, or Parinari mobola; entrance oval, once 3·6 cm by 4 cm, cavity c. 34 cm deep, chamber in one case 5·4 cm by 7·5 cm; territory c. 40 ha in farmland with scattered trees and woodland patches. Clutch 2–4 white eggs, size 24·6–24·8 mm × 17·8–18 mm, mass 3·7–3·9 g (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); details of incubation and nestling periods, and helper activities, unknown; however, changeovers occur at 30–50-minute intervals (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Nest parasitized by Lesser Honeyguide; in one observation, while two group-members chased honeyguides, another member entered nest, carried the four barbet eggs individually to entrance, and crushed each one.

VULNERABLE. Previously considered Near Threatened. Locally common, but population estimated at just 5200 mature individuals and range restricted probably to > 760 km². Eight subpopulations are known: NRCA and neighbouring farms, Choma West-Sibanyati, Kalomo, Landless Corner and Chisamba, N Kafue Flats, SE Kafue Flats (including Mazabuka and Monze), SW Kafue Flats, and possibly Lukanga Swamps, but woodland clearance for agriculture (especially maize, wheat and sugar cane), and for housing, is decreasing area of suitable habitat and is likely to lead to the loss of two subpopulations in the next few years. Occurs in five Important Bird Areas (3 Spottiswoode, C., Leonard, P. and Mills, M. (2005). Little-known African Bird: Chaplin’s Barbet Lybius chaplini, Zambia’s fig-loving endemic, Bull. Afr. Bird Club. 12(1): 50–52. Close ), but is to all intents and purposes no longer protected by an government-administered conservation unit (2 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ). To some extent, adapts to human activities and accepts man-altered habitats, so long as trees are still present for nesting, roosting and feeding; fortunately, when woodland is cleared for agriculture, fig trees are commonly left intact. However, minimum acceptable density of fig trees remains undetermined; research needed in order to establish ecological requirements, and also precise distribution. Occurs in Kafue National Park (Zambia), though present in only small numbers.