Barbets (family Capitonidae) are closely related to the honey guides and are members of the order Piciformes. Barbets can be small to medium sized and are similar to woodpeckers. They have short legs and paired toes that are directed forward and backwards, which is similar in their near relatives, the toucans and woodpeckers.
The name barbet comes from the French word barbu meaning bearded. Barbets are found in the tropical regions of the world, but do not live in Australia. These are stocky birds with strong colors and patterns, and they have large stout bills with obvious bristles.
Being almost exclusively arboreal, they feed mainly on fruit and berries, but also take insects. They lay two to five white eggs in holes in trees, which they dig with their bills. The blue-throated barbet of eastern Asia is the best-known in captivity. There are 75 known species, most of them found in Africa. Barbets are very noisy, some kinds repeating their duets for hours. The Black-collared Barbet of Africa (pictured) is 7-1/2 inches long.
