Red-headed Barbet

*Top 50 Target Species

The Red-headed Barbet is a vividly colored bird of Ecuador’s montane forests, where it inhabits the interior and edges of evergreen woodland between 400 and 2,400 meters. Two subspecies occur in the country: E. b. aequatorialis on the western Andean slopes and E. b. orientalis on the eastern slope, both favoring humid, mid-elevation habitats. Globally listed as Least Concern, its population is declining due to ongoing habitat loss, though it remains locally common in protected areas like Mindo and Podocarpus. Known for its sexual dimorphism and cavity-nesting behavior, this barbet feeds on insects and fruit, often visiting feeders in forest-edge gardens.