Trachyphonus vaillantii
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The crested barbet (Trachyphonus vaillantii) ('trachys'=rough, 'phone'=voice, sound') is a sub-Saharan bird in the Lybiidae family. Its specific name commemorates François Levaillant, a famed French naturalist. Two subspecies are recognized, with T. v. nobilis usually included in the nominate subspecies. The subspecies are distinguished by subtle differences in speckling, body size and color intensity. Individual variation is typical however, besides being paler in drier regions, and richer in colour in wetter areas.
Trachyphonus vaillantii vaillantii — occurs commonly from Central to Southern Africa Trachyphonus vaillantii suahelicus — to the north and east of the nominate, Angola, DRC in Central Africa, to Tanzania and Mozambique in East Africa
With its thick bill and very colourful plumage the crested barbet is unmistakable. This small bird has a speckled yellow and red face with a small black crest. The belly is yellow with red speckles, wings are black with white specks and it has a broad black band on its neck. Yellow head and body with black and white feathers, red markings on end of body, its colour blends well in the bush. They have a distinct... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 9 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 10 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 11 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 12 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 14 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 16 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 17 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 18 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 19 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 20 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 21 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 5 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Barbet sighting in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, based on 136 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 45th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Barbet in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, against about 10% in December, the lowest month. That is one of Pilanesberg National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 130 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested Barbet sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Crested Barbet sightings, Pilanesberg National Park ranks 7th at about 30%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 60%), Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 50%) and uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Lybiidae
The closest relatives of the Crested Barbet that you can see in Pilanesberg National Park (family Lybiidae, African Barbets) are Black-collared Barbet (about 40%), Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird (about 10%) and Acacia Pied Barbet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crested Barbet is recorded against all the birds logged in Pilanesberg National Park (136 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.
