Acacia pied barbet

Tricholaema leucomelas

The acacia pied barbet or pied barbet is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family.
Pied Barbet - African Colors An Acacia Pied Barbet visits a watering hole in Namibia, southwestern Africa.  As the name states, this bird occurs within the Acacia (thorn trees and bush) habitat, its colors blending in perfectly with its surroundings, especially when these bush and trees are in bloom.  I will attach a photograph of such Acacia trees in bloom so that you can compare the matching colors.  Thus camouflage is excellent, although it does not look like it in this image. 

The strong and rather large beak shows this bird's feeding potential, probably focused on hard shelled seeds, and possibly to break open tough pods of the Acacia in order to get to the seeds. 

http://www.jungledragon.com/image/26200/blackthorn_-_acacia_mellifera_-_invasive_beauty.html  (Acacia mellifera in bloom)

http://www.jungledragon.com/image/26201/camel_thorn_tree_blossoms_-_golden_balls.html  (Acacia erioloba in bloom). Acacia pied barbet,Geotagged,Namibia,Tricholaema leucomelas,Winter,beak,beautiful,camouflage,red,shy,yellow

Appearance

It has a black-and-white striped head with a red forehead and yellow colouring above the eyes. It has a black bib under the chin, with a white breast and underparts.
Acacia Pied Barbet in Angola Acacia pied barbet,Angola,Geotagged,Tricholaema leucomelas,Winter

Distribution

It primarily inhabits semi-arid savanna, as well as grassland, fynbos, agricultural areas and urban gardens, where it did not inhabit previously. With the introduction of alien vegetation, especially "Acacia" species from Australia, to regions bordering its original range, this species has been able to expand its range to these otherwise unreachable areas.

It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Habitat

It primarily inhabits semi-arid savanna, as well as grassland, fynbos, agricultural areas and urban gardens, where it did not inhabit previously. With the introduction of alien vegetation, especially "Acacia" species from Australia, to regions bordering its original range, this species has been able to expand its range to these otherwise unreachable areas.

It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Like most other barbets, the acacia pied barbet drills holes into dead wood to create cavity nests, like a woodpecker. It lays two to four eggs from August to April, and both sexes incubate the eggs.

The acacia pied barbet has been observed taking fruit from various trees and shrubs, such as "Ficus", "Rhus" and "Phoenix reclinata", as well as "Aloe" nectar and insects.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderPiciformes
FamilyLybiidae
GenusTricholaema
SpeciesT. leucomelas
Photographed in
Angola
Namibia