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Quill mites are obligatory parasites of birds, widely distributed among their hosts. For the first time, we examined birds from two small, phylogenetically closely related piciform families, Megalaimidae (New World Barbets) and Capitonidae (Asian Barbets), for infestation by parasitic mites of the subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Syringophilidae). Birds of the family Megalaimidae were infested by two new species of the genus Picobia: Picobia insolita Skoracki, Sikora & Unsoeld n. sp. collected from Caloramphus hayii in Indonesia, and Picobia paraheeri Skoracki, Sikora & Unsoeld n. sp. found on nine bird species of the genus Psilopogon, including P. zeylanicus in Sri Lanka, P. asiaticus in India, P. virens in China, P. franklini and P. lineatus both in Nepal, and P. corvinus, P. rafflesii, P. chrysopogon, P. pyrolophus, all in Indonesia. Within the Capitonidae family, a single quill mite species, Rafapicobia olszanowskii Skoracki et al. 2020, was found infesting two species of the genus Capito, i.e. C. maculicoronatus in Panama and C. niger in Surinam and Guyana, and these two Asian Barbet species are new hosts for this quill mite species. Our further analysis of picobiine mite records associated with the entire order of Piciformes revealed a correlation between the mites’ distribution patterns and the phylogeny of piciform birds. This significant congruence suggests a close evolutionary relationship between picobiine mites and their avian hosts.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F9DEB980-6481-4229-A071-52AC9FF69879http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6B4F98EB-D166-4DBF-B26F-49F4B22903A8http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:98140DAC-5C53-438B-85A6-1FBA52D178D0

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The study of animal communication systems is an important step towards gaining greater understanding of the processes influencing diversification because signals often play an important role in mate choice and can lead to reproductive isolation. Signal evolution can be influenced by a diversity of factors such as biophysical constraints on the emitter, the signalling environment, or selection to avoid heterospecific matings. Furthermore, because signals can be costly to produce, trade-offs may exist between different types of signals. Here, we apply phylogenetic comparative analyses to study the evolution of acoustic and visual signals in Asian barbets, a clade of non-Passerine, forest-dependent birds. Our results suggest that evolution of acoustic and visual signals in barbets is influenced by diverse factors, such as morphology and signalling environment, suggesting a potential effect of sensory drive. We found no trade-offs between visual and acoustic signals. Quite to the contrary, more colourful species sing significantly longer songs. Song characteristics presented distinct patterns of evolution. Song frequency diverged early on and the rate of evolution of this trait appears to be constrained by body size. On the other hand, characteristics associated with length of the song presented evidence for more recent divergence. Finally, our results indicate that there is a spatial component to the evolution of visual signals, and that visual signals are more divergent between closely related taxa than acoustic signals. Hence, visual signals in these species could play a role in speciation or reinforcement of reproductive isolation following secondary contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes a barbet species in the genus Capito from an outlying ridge of the eastern Andes of Peru. Results of a phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of the mitochondrial DNA sequences of the species and Capito wallacei showed that they are reciprocally monophyletic sister species. The plumage and morphology of the new species indicated that it is endemic to a small region of montane cloud forest in the southern part of the Cerros del Sira.

phenomenon is far from complete, and several groups have yet to be investigated. We examined patterns of rest- and activephase thermoregulation in Acacia Pied Barbets Lybius leucomelas and Crested Barbets Trachyphonus vaillantii held in outdoor aviaries, using surgically-implanted miniature data loggers to record body temperature (Tb). Both species exhibited large circadian rhythms of Tb, with maximum active-phase and minimum rest-phase Tb (ρTbmin) values of 42.3 ± 0.1 °C and 37.7 ± 0.6 °C, respectively, in Acacia Pied Barbets (n = 3) and 42.5 ± 0.4 °C and 37.0 ± 0.6 °C, respectively, in Crested Barbets (n = 5). Neither species exhibited any indication of torpor, despite being subjected to a food restriction treatment that is known to elicit torpor in other taxa. Instead, restricted feeding resulted in small but significant increases in the amplitude of circadian Tb rhythms, with ρTbmin values 0.3-0.6 °C lower than during ad libitum food availability. The responses of barbets maintained in aviaries may not, however, be representative of those of free-ranging individuals. Body temperature traces we obtained from Acacia Pied Barbets in a field laboratory in the Kalahari Desert reveal reductions in Tb to below 32 °C during the rest-phase, suggesting that in natural habitats this species may routinely exhibit facultative hypothermia. The amplitudes of circadian Tb rhythms we observed under seminatural conditions in both species are significantly greater than expected on the basis of an allometric equation based largely on Northern Hemisphere data, but are similar to those observed in other southern African species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which assessed the role played by avian frugivores in the dissemination of sandalwood tree seeds in Tamil Nadu, India. The study selected trees that had ripe fruits for field observations. It states that birds that played a role in sandalwood regeneration and dispersal include Brahminy Starling, Brown-headed Barbet, and Common Myna.

Del 10 al 15 de diciembre de 1953 visité la Comisaria del Vaupés (en la parte amazónica de Colombia) con el objeto de iniciar un estudio sobre las aves de la región. Llegué por avión directamente a Mitú. capital de la Comisaría y pequeña población situada en la margen derecha del río Vaupés a los 1° 06' 30" de Lat. N. y 40 02' Long. E. de Bogotá. Altitud, 240 metros; temperatura media, 260 C. Dista unos 28 kms. (en línea recta) al oeste de la desembocadura del rio Querari (Kerary) en el Vaupés que es vértice de la línea limítrofe con el Brasil.

Highlights: [•] Not all named species are monophyletic. [•] Five clades raised to species level. [•] Most species originate before the Pleistocene. [•] Phylogenetic evidence for extinction in island lineages. [•] Support for “museum hypothesis” origin of tropical diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the breeding biology of the Taiwan Barbet (Megalaima nuchalis) in the Taipei Botanical Garden (TBG) during the 2008 and 2009 breeding seasons. Breeding pairs produced a mean of 1.8 broods per season and had a mean clutch size of 3.0 eggs. The mean incubation period was 13.8 days, and both parents shared incubation. The mean nestling period was ~27.5 days, considerably shorter than that of other Asian barbets. The shorter nestling period may be related to the low fledgling success rate, multiple broods per season, and constant animal matter food in TBG throughout the entire nesting period. Ambient temperature influenced the amount of time spent by adults inside the nest cavity incubating eggs and brooding nestlings. Adult males provided more food to nestlings than adult females, while adult females cleaned the nest more often than males. The overall egg-to-fledgling success rate was low at 32.8%, because of infertile eggs and failure of eggs with embryos to hatch, abandonment, anthropogenic disturbances, predation, weather disturbances, and other unknown factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type specimens of 6 Trogoniformes, 10 Galbuliformes and 24 Piciformes taxa in the collections of the MNHN were reviewed and commented upon. The material includes: (1) Holotypes of Trogonidae (Trogon romoniana Deville & Des Murs, 1849, Trogon Antisianus d'Orbigny, 1837, Trogon Hargitti Oustalet, 1891, Trogon albiventer Lesson, 1830); Galbulidae (Jacamerops Isidoris Deville, 1849); Bucconidae (Bucco lanceolata Deville, 1849, Monasa personata Vieillot, 1823. Chelidoptera albipennis Bonaparte, 1853, Capito melanoleucus Wagler, 1827); Capitonidae (Capito quinticolor Elliot, 1865, Micropogon Bourcierii Lafresnaye, 1845, Capito lineatus Vieillot, 1816, Megalaima Lagrandieri J. Verreaux, 1868. Bucco virens Boddaert, 1783, Thereiceryx faiostrictus pallidus Delacour, 1927, Megakema lagrandieri rothschildi Delacour, 1927, Cyanops franklinii tonkinensis Delacour, 1927); Indicatoridae (Indicator variegatus Lesson, 1830); Ramphastidae (Pteroglossus brevirostris Lesson, 1830, Ramphastos sulfuratus Lesson, 1830). (2) Syntypes of Galbulidae (Galbula chalcocephala Deville, 1849, Galbula cyanescens Deville, 1849, Galbula tridactyla Vieillot, 1817); Bucconidae (Bucco hyperrhynchus Sclater, 1856, Bucco pulmentum Sclater, 1856); Capitonidae (Capito Amazonicus Deville & Des Murs, 1849, Bucco mystacophanos Temminck, 1824, Bucco chrysopogon Temminck, 1824, Bucco corvinus Temminck, 1831, Bucco Duvaucelii Lesson, 1830, Cyanops franklinii auriculoris Robinson & Kloss, 1919, Cyanops oorti annamensis Robinson & Kloss, 1919, Bucco chrysoconus Temminck, 1832, Pogonias Rolleti De Filippi, 1853, Pogonias personatus Temminck, 1823); Ramphastidae (Pteroglossus culik Wagler, 1827, Aulacorhynchus coeruli-cinctis d'Orbigny, 1840, Pteroglossus ambiguus Lesson, 1830). (3) A lectotype of Trogonidae (Trogon sallaei Bonaparte. 1856). In addition, 19 specimens proved not to be types. The holotype of Bucco Auro-Virens, Cuvier, 1829 was not identified with certainty, as well as a paralectotype of Trogon sallaei Bonaparte, 1856. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of nuclear (β-fibrinogen intron 7; 938 bp) and mitochondrial (cytochrome b; 1045 bp) DNA sequence data analyzed with model-based phylogenetic methods yields a hypothesis of barbet and toucan relationships supported by high Bayesian posterior probabilities and several synapomorphic indels in the nuclear intron data. The basal topology differs from previous morphology and mitochondrial DNA sequence based hypotheses, but is consistent with DNA–DNA hybridization results. The mitochondrial DNA sequence data provide resolution at the tips of the tree, but when analyzed alone, yield a different basal topology than the combined data. However, the basal nodes in the mitochondrial-based tree have little statistical support. Combined data analysis produced strong statistical support at basal nodes and a relatively simple geographic structure. Barbets from each of the three tropical regions are monophyletic, but the Old World barbets are paraphyletic. The African and New World clades are sister taxa, and the Asian clade is basal. This geographic structure indicates that similarities in plumage, voice, and behavior between Gymnobucco and Calorhamphus are convergent. The data are not conclusive, but suggest paraphyly of the New World barbets. Only 4% of the Bayesian posterior distribution unites Semnornis with the other New World barbets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the factors that influence the energy expenditures of the toucans, a barbet and a hornbill. Experimental techniques used in the study; Basal rate of metabolism of the toucans, barbet and hornbill; Comparison of the energetics of toucans, barbet and hornbill with pigeons, doves and flying foxes.

Presents information on the discovery of a species of barbet (Capitonidae) in the eastern Andes of Peru. Details of the expedition in Peru; Description of the birds' physical appearance and behavior; Comparisons between the specimens; Information on its habitat.