The green barbet (Cryptolybia olivacea) is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family (African barbets). It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. It occurs in forests from sea level to 1800 metres. Its isolated populations are vulnerable to forest clearing.

Description

They have dull ginger-olive plumage, but are yellower on the wings, and paler below. The head and chin are dark brown in the nominate race, and the eyes vary from dull red to orange. The bill is black and the feet blackish. Juveniles are duller, with brown eyes.

Call

Their call is a repetitive chock, chock, ..., or chop, chop, ..., sometimes in a duet.

Habits

They frequent fruiting branches in the subcanopy, and vary from solitary to social during foraging and roosting. It is a sedentary species which is not known to undertake any movements. It may be particularly dependent on the fruit of wild figs. It breeds in cavities in tree trunks during midsummer.

Taxonomy

The number of races (or species) is not generally agreed upon, and the conservation status of the taxa depends critically on their taxonomic evaluation. Race C. o. hylophona is sometimes merged with woodwardi in a taxon with tentative species status, the so-called Woodward's barbet. These birds have the ear coverts and hind brow marked in yellow, as opposed to the dusky-headed populations. The type was obtained from oNgoye Forest in South Africa, and named for its discoverers, the Woodward brothers. C. o. belcheri, which lacks the yellow ear coverts, is endemic to two isolated inselbergs, and may constitute a third species.

Races

International Ornithologists' Union recognizes five subspecies: Two subspecies are recognized by other authors: