The Naked-faced Barbet (Gymnobucco calvus) belongs to the African Barbet family Lybiidae. It occurs naturally in the following African countries:
It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Description
They are usually about 20 – 25 cm long, plump-looking, with large heads. Their heavy bill is fringed with bristles.
Diet / Feeding
These mostly solitary birds eat a variety of fruits. They will also visit plantations and take cultivated fruit and vegetables. Fruit is eaten whole and indigestible material such as seed pits regurgitated later.
They will also feed on insects, such as ants, cicadas, dragonflies, crickets, locusts, beetles, moths, mantids – sometimes even scorpions and centipedes. They may also eat lizards, frogs and geckos.
Nesting / Breeding
They usually nest in holes bored into dead trees, branches or stumps – occasionally in riverbanks or termite nests.
The hen usually lays between 2 to 4 eggs that are incubated for 13–15 days. Nesting duties are shared by both parents.
