Appearance
The Usambiro barbet is 18–19 cm long and weighs 37–50.5 g. The head is yellow with black spots and the wings are black with white spots. The breast is also yellow with a dark breast band. The belly is pale yellow with a reddish vent. The sexes are similar.Naming
. It was formerly considered a subspecies of D'Arnaud's barbet, along with Emin's barbet, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021. It varies from the nominate in having a longer wing, shorter tail, darker bill. The Usambiro barbet was originally described as a subspecies of D'Arnaud's barbet in 1908 by Oscar Rudolph Neumann from a specimen collected in Usambiro in Tanzania. It is now treated as a valid species in its own right.Habitat
The species inhabits open areas including savannah, grassland, shrubland and pastures. It ranges from 1,100 to 2,100 m above sea-level. Where the species' range overlaps with the Red-and-yellow barbet, this species will avoid the streambeds favoured by the larger red-and-yellow barbet and occupies flat areas.Food
The diet of this species is assumed to be the same as the D'Arnaud's barbet, comprising seeds, fruit and a wide range of insects.References:
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