Great Backyard Bird Off - Africa (poll 5)
Choose your favorite
Bearded Barbet
Southern Double-collared Sunbird
Bird Info & Submission Reasons
Bearded Barbet (Pogonornis dubius)
"Look at him. Look at his beard. Look at his colours and experience joy. I'm from the coast of Senegal and I had one who visited my fig trees every morning and they were the joy of my childhood. They're very very important to spreading seeds, and they've got these incredible saw-like structures on the sides of their beaks so they can break the stems of fruits. They're very lovely."
Large, colorful barbet with a huge ivory-colored bill. Note the red underparts with a thick black bar across the middle. Found in a variety of habitats, including moist and dry savanna, woodland, gardens, and secondary growth, often in the vicinity of figs and other fruiting trees. Most often in pairs or small groups. The call is a very rough, explosive “rwauk,” often given in a slow series. (eBird)
Southern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris chalybeus)
"They’re incredibly beautiful and I love their songs. Also they’re an iconic South African bird and leaving them out would be a crime."
A small sunbird. The male has a pale gray belly and relatively narrow red breast band. The female is overall gray-brown. Pairs and small groups visit a broad variety of habitats. The species gives a characteristic short two-note “cher-cher” call and a rapid high-pitched song of up-and-down notes. (eBird)
Image Sources: Barbet (Wim Schalenbourg), Sunbird (Kalin Ocana)