Common name: Blackcollared Barbet

Scientific name: Lybius torquatus

Local name: Nwagogosane (Tsonga)

Approximate measurements:
Mass (grams): 59
Length (cm): 20
Wing length (mm): 56
Larger sex: No difference

Morphs: A rare yellow (xanthocroic) form exists which is possibly more common in the northern parts of its range. Picture of the rare yellow form taken in Mkuzi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

Distribution: Angola, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique

Status: Common

Habitat: Tree savanna, woodland, edge of riverine forest, parks and gardens.

General habits: Usually in pairs. Individuals bob up and down, opening and closing their wings as they call in duet.

Feeding habits: Birds aggressive to other fruit eaters when eating fruit. Diet consists of fruit and insects.

Breeding habits: Territorial, territories varying greatly in size.
Egg laying: September to February
Nest: Hole in a tree trunk excavated by both sexes. Picture of nest and adult at entrance.
Eggs: 1-5
Incubation: About 18 days, beginning with the first egg and by both sexes and helpers.
Young: Hatch naked and blind. They are fed insects and fruit by both parents and helpers. Parents roost in the same hole as the chicks. Fledge after about 35 days.