AVITOPIA - Barbets

The family of New World Barbets is endemic to the tropics of Central and South America. Their body length ranges from 15.5 cm to 19 cm. They have large strong bills, without notch-tooth at the tomium. Very noticeable is their sexual dimorphism. For some species, male and female wrer originally described as different species. All Barbets depend on trees, they excavate the cavities in the tree trunks themselves, roost in them and raise their young in them. Their diet consists mainly of fruits, but especially when rearing the young, Barbets also catch invertebrates, e.g. Scorpions. Indigestible components and seeds are regurgitated outside the nest, so that Barbets are among the most important dispersers of plants in the ecosystem. The incubation period is relatively long and the development of the nestlings is slow. Unfortunately the knowledge of their breeding biology is still imcomplete.