Family: Capitonidae

Scientific name: Trachyphonus vaillantii

Subspecies: T. v. vaillantii Ranzani T. v. nobilis Ogilvie-Grant T. v. suahelicus Reichenow

Local name: Xitsemahangoni (Tsonga), Mbangura (Kwangali), Chizuvaguru (Shona), Kôpaôpê (Tswana)

Approximate measurements:
Mass (grams): 72
Length (cm): 24
Wing length (mm): 100
Larger sex: No difference

Distribution: Angola, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique. According the Clancey (1974) the subspecies are distributed as follows:
T. v. vaillantii:Natal, south to about Durban, Zululand, Swaziland, the Transvaal, eastern Botswana from Kanye north to Francistown and the south-eastern edge of the Makarikari Salt Pan complex, Zimbabwe south to the miombo biome, Mozambique north to about the Save River.
T. v. nobilis: Southern and central Angola from Huila and Benguela, east to Cuando-Cabango, north-eastern Namibia on the Okavango River, the Caprivi Strip, northern Botswana in the Okavango Swamp and on the Chobe River, Zambia in Barotse, Southern and Central Provinces, Zimbabwe in the Zambezi River valley and inthe miombo biome (north of T.v.vaillantii range), Mozambique in the Tete district (and Manica e Sofala?) and southern Malawi.
T. v. suahelicus: Tanzania, northern Malawi, northern Mozambique (southern limits uncertain), Zambia in Northern and Luapula Provinces, west to the North-Western Province, southern Zaire in Katanga and north-eastern Angola in Moxico and, presumably, Malanje and Huambo, but limits in Angola uncertain.

Status: Common

Habitat: Tree savanna, woodland and riverine.

General habits: Single or in pairs. Does not fly easily and then only for short distances. Roosts in holes in trees. Very vocal, the call being a trill that can continue for long periods. Crested Barbets are aggressive towards other birds in their territory and chase off both nest competitors such as other barbets and other birds such as doves and thrushes (Van Zyl and Greyling 1988). They have also been recorded to have attacked a rat (Greyling 1988) and killed a snake (Mundell and Van Zyl 1989).

Feeding habits: Forages in bushes and trees and also on the ground. Diet consists of insects and fruit.

Breeding habits: Monogamous and territorial. Territory size varies according to habitat.
Egg laying: September to December
Nest: Hole in a tree excavated by both sexes. Takes readily to nestboxes. Picture of a Crested Barbet at the nest.
Eggs: 1-5, laid at day intervals.
Incubation: 13-17 days, beginning with the second or third egg and mainly by the female.
Young: Hatch naked and blind. Fed insects by both parents. Faecal material removed regularly. Fledge after about 31 days. Up to five broods have been recorded in a breeding season (Diedericks 1988).

References: Clancey, P.A. 1974. Miscellaneous taxonomic notes of African Birds XXXIX. Durban Museum Novitates 10: 85-95.
Diedericks, J. 1988. Sisal as a nest site for Crested Barbets. WBC News 142:16-71.
Greyling, T. 1988. Crested Barbet attacks a rat. Laniarius 33:9.
Mundell and Van Zyl, A.J. 1989. Crested Barbets kill snake. Laniarius 36: 20-21.
Ward, D. 1989. The morphology of the syrinx in some southern African barbets (Capitonidae). Ostrich 60:44-45.
Ward, D. 1986. Vocalizations and associated behaviour of Crested and Blackcollared Barbets. Ostrich 57:129-137.
Prozesky, O.P.M. 1964. Study of the behaviour of the Crested Barbet. Ostrich suppl. 6:171-.
Van Zyl, A.J. 1994. The influence of the environment on the breeding success of a suburban population of Crested Barbets Trachyphonus vaillantii. Ostrich 56:291-296.
Van Zyl, A.J. and Greyling, T. 1988. Who? and Why? in the Crested Barbet neighbourhood. Laniarius 33:3-6.