© Michael Harvey
© Michael Harvey

Sira Barbet Capito fitzpatricki

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Identification

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Stunning and rarely seen bird known only from the remote Cerros del Sira range in central Peru, east of the main chain of the Andes. Easily identified by its scarlet crown, breast, and flanks as well as white throat and belly. Song is a quiet, low pitched gurgle; calls include guttural grunts and purring rattles. Usually seen in pairs or small groups foraging for fruit in the forest canopy. Discovered in 2008, this spectacular barbet was for a long time treated as a subspecies of Scarlet-banded Barbet. The two species do not overlap, and differ in the color of their flanks and thighs. Access to its known range is extremely difficult, and few birders have been lucky enough to see one.

POWERED BY MERLIN