Red-faced Barbet

Red-faced Barbet

Lybius rubrifacies

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Lake Mburo National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

141 Verified sightings at Lake Mburo National Park From 2019 to 2026
158 In all 2 parks
July Best month

About the Red-faced Barbet

The red-faced barbet (Lybius rubrifacies) is a species of bird in the African barbet family Lybiidae. It is found in Burundi, Rwanda, Northwest Tanzania, and Southwest Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and arable land.

It is threatened by habitat loss. This barbet is one of the smaller of the Lybius species at only 17 cm (6.7 in) in length. It has red coloring on the side of the face and around the eye, but is black on the dorsal side of the head. Its entire body is black and its wings are streaked with yellow. This type of barbet is sexually monomorphic, meaning that both the males and females are generally similar in morphology, size and behavior.

This species sings duets in order to communicate with mates and other individuals. Among its genus, the red-faced barbet is the only member to begin its duetting with a bill-snapping behavior. While individuals outside of a duetting pair will participate in "greeting ceremonies," duetting songs are generally exclusive to the primary pair communicating. These duetting songs are crucial for the establishment and defense of a territory, as well as in finding suitable mates.... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:23

Uganda · 2022

© Peter Boesman · XC739786 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:16

Uganda · 2018

© Andrew Spencer · XC433603 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
2 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-faced Barbet in Lake Mburo National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-faced Barbet sighting in Lake Mburo National Park on a given day, based on 141 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 122nd most-seen of the 362 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-faced Barbet in Lake Mburo National Park?

March–April and June–July

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-faced Barbet in Lake Mburo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month.

Is Lake Mburo National Park the best place to see a Red-faced Barbet?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Red-faced Barbet sightings, Lake Mburo National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Akagera National Park (Rwanda, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Red-faced Barbet live in Lake Mburo National Park?

Same genus: Lybius

The closest relatives of the Red-faced Barbet that you can see in Lake Mburo National Park (genus Lybius, Typical African Barbets) are Double-Toothed Barbet (about 20%), White-headed Barbet (about 10%) and Black-collared Barbet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Red-faced Barbet sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-faced Barbet is recorded against all the birds logged in Lake Mburo National Park (141 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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