These very localised birds within South Africa are pleasantly common at forest edge in St Lucia.
Typical barbets, they nest in holes which they excavate in the dead branches of trees with soft wood, such as Natal flat crown, Forest cabbage and Coral trees. They are facultative co-operative breeders, with relatives helping to raise the chicks and defend the nest from predators or nest parasites such as Lesser & Scaly-throated honeyguide.
In St Lucia White-eared barbets are synonymous with Fruiting fig trees, especially Large-leaved fig (Ficus lutea) and often nest in close proximity to these trees.
They are the most vigilant birds in the forest, often alarm-calling to alert other birds of avian predators, such as African goshawk, Black sparrow hawk, and Little sparrow hawk as well as snakes such as Green mamba and Forest cobra. They often aggressively mob snakes.
Chicks are fed an assortment of invertebrate prey, with larger, hard-bodied beetles etc mashed with their powerful bills and tenderised by dunking them in water (if possible)
Typical barbets, they nest in holes which they excavate in the dead branches of trees with soft wood, such as Natal flat crown, Forest cabbage and Coral trees. They are facultative co-operative breeders, with relatives helping to raise the chicks and defend the nest from predators or nest parasites such as Lesser & Scaly-throated honeyguide.
In St Lucia White-eared barbets are synonymous with Fruiting fig trees, especially Large-leaved fig (Ficus lutea) and often nest in close proximity to these trees.
They are the most vigilant birds in the forest, often alarm-calling to alert other birds of avian predators, such as African goshawk, Black sparrow hawk, and Little sparrow hawk as well as snakes such as Green mamba and Forest cobra. They often aggressively mob snakes.
Chicks are fed an assortment of invertebrate prey, with larger, hard-bodied beetles etc mashed with their powerful bills and tenderised by dunking them in water (if possible)