PICIFORMES of South America
The order Piciformes is made up of the woodpecker family Picidae plus 8 other families. Picidae make up about half of the species. In general, the Piciformes are insectivorous, but some exceptions eat mostly fruit. Nearly all Piciformes have parrot-like feet—two toes forward and two back, an arrangement that has obvious advantages for birds that spend much of their time on tree trunks. And most Piciformes do not have down feathers at any age, only true feathers. All nest in cavites. [abstracted from Wikipedia]
American barbets inhabit tropical forests in Central and South America. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. They are closely related to the toucans. The American barbets are plump birds, with short necks and large heads. Most species are brightly colored. Most American barbet species inhabit lowland forest. Their diet is similar to African barbets: fruit and insects. Fruit is eaten whole and indigestible material such as seed pits regurgitated later. These birds do not migrate. They nest in tree holes dug by breeding pairs. American barbets are quite similar to the African barbets which also belong to Piciformes. [abstracted from Wikipedia]
Genus Eubucco
Barbet, Red-headed Eubucco bourcierii Found: South America
Photographed by: 1) Ana Agreda - Ecuador 2) José Loaiza - Ecuador
1) Male 2) Female
Family Semnornithidae - 1 genus
Genus Semnornis - 2 species
Barbet, Toucan Semnornis ramphastinus Found: South America
Photographed by Steve Herrmann - Ecuador
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