Meet Versicolored Barbet, The Magnificent Bird Whose Feathers Are Psychedelic Colors

If you're an avid bird watcher, you've likely researched the most fascinating birds in your area. The chances of seeing a tropical bird in a nontropical environment are limited unless it is a pet.

Source: Ebird

Its technicolor feathers make it a sought-after subtropical bird from Bolivia and Peru. Despite its brightly bristled appearance, the versicolored barbet packs a lot of complexity.

Source: Francesco Verones

With its psychedelic colors, the bird appears to be a cartoon character animal come to life. The versicolored barbet always appears angry and passionate, with a blue handlebar mustache and a red feathered helmet.
This species belongs to a family of birds called Capitonidae, known as New World Barbets. The versicolored barbet has a sturdy bill, a characteristic of barbets. Eubucco versicolor is the scientific name for the brightly colored bird, not to be confused with other close relatives. A versicolored barbet has three distinct subspecies.

Get to know the amazingly vibrant Versicolored Barbet!

Each barbet subspecies has its own appearance; however, all male barbets have a bright red face and crown with blue-green feathers above the eyes. The lower breast has a red half-moon swatch separating the lemony yellow chest and feathered belly in males.

Source: @satieairme

Birds with different color patterns are female and male

Female birds have green to blue-green chest feathers, whereas males have bold yellow chest feathers. In addition, female birds have a yellowish belly with streaks of green feathers.

Source: Joao Quental

Originally from Bolivia and Peru, they are now found worldwide

Barbet subspecies are all about 6.3 inches long when mature. The bird is native to South America and does not migrate, so it lives throughout the year in Bolivia and Peru's jungles.

Source: @jacamarclub

In sub-montane forests, the versicolored barbet often lives

Three subspecies of the Versicolored barbet live in sub-mountainous areas with an abundance of epiphytes (air plants) and mosses. They also thrive in mature secondary forested areas and typically live between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level.

Source: @ericsonpinedo

It is still unknown quite a bit about this species

The bird is hard to study in the wild because it is not used to being around people. Neither the species nor its subspecies are well known for their breeding habits.
Barbets breed between July and December. At least one nest with three eggs has been described by bird watchers inside an existing tree hole.

Source: Joao Quental

Mustache-like feathers surround the beak

Source: @colores_of_the_world

The chin of this female versicolored barbet is blue, while her belly is green

Source: Dominic Sherony

This breathtaking bird can be seen in action in the video below!

Wild populations of this species are rare

Versicolored barbets are rare to uncommon species. Two subspecies are classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, while the Blue-chinned barbet is near threatened.
If you find one of these evasive birds in the wild, pay attention to their behavior since little is known about their behavior.