Capitonidae

Golden-naped barbet Megalaima pulcherrima, photographed by sesamest74.

Belongs within: Piciformes.

The Capitonidae contains the barbets, a pantropical group of often brightly-coloured frugivorous birds. They have short necks, relatively big heads and heavy bills with conspicuous bristles or tufts of feathers over the nostrils (Austin 1961). Many authors now include this family in the Ramphastidae with the toucans.

<==Capitonidae
    |  i. s.: ‘Bucco’ corvinus W66
    |         ‘Bucco’ faiostriatus W66
    |--Gymnobucco Bonaparte 1850 [Gymnobucconidae] B94
    |--Calorhamphus Lesson 1839 [Calorhamphidae] B94
    |--Semnornis Richmond 1900 [Semnornithidae] B94
    |    `--S. ramphastinus A61
    |--Tricholaema FP64
    |    |--T. diadematum FP64
    |    `--T. melanocephala (Cretzschmar 1829) [=Pogonias melanocephala] S05
    |--Capito Vieillot 1816 B94
    |    |--C. aurantiicollis SS66
    |    |--C. aurovirens SS66
    |    |--C. melanotis SS66
    |    |--C. niger HK08
    |    `--C. peruvianus SS66
    `--Megalaima Gray 1842 [Megalaimatidae] B94
         |--M. asiatica [=Cyanops asiatica] S89
         |--M. cyanotis S89
         |--M. davisoni S89
         |--M. franklini A61
         |--M. hodgsonii Bonaparte 1850 [incl. Capito lineatus, Megalaima lineata] W66
         |--M. pulcherrima FP64
         |--M. ramsayi Walden 1875 S89
         |--M. virens HK08
         `--M. viridis RD02

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A61] Austin, O. L., Jr. 1961. Birds of the World: A survey of the twenty-seven orders and one hundred and fifty-five families. Paul Hamlyn: London.

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1-281.

[FP6] Fisher, J., & R. T. Peterson. 1964. The World of Birds: A comprehensive guide to general ornithology. Macdonald: London.

[HK08] Hackett, S. J., R. T. Kimball, S. Reddy, R. C. K. Bowie, E. L. Braun, M. J. Braun, J. L. Chojnowski, W. A. Cox, K.-L. Han, J. Harshman, C. J. Huddleston, B. D. Marks, K. J. Miglia, W. S. Moore, F. H. Sheldon, D. W. Steadman, C. C. Witt & T. Yuri. 2008. A phylogenomic study of birds reveals their evolutionary history. Science 320: 1763-1768.

[RD02] Robin, V. V., & P. Davidar. 2002. The vertical stratification of birds in mixed species flocks at Parambikulam, south India: a comparison between two habitats. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 99 (3): 389-399.

[S89] Salvadori, T. 1889. Viaggio di Leonardo Fea nella Birmania e nelle regioni vicine. XIX. – Uccelli raccolti nei Monti Carin a nord-est di Tounghoo, nel Pegù presso Rangoon e Tounghoo e nel Tenasserim presso Malewoon. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a 7: 369-438.

[SS66] Sclater, P. L., & O. Salvin. 1866. Catalogue of birds collected by Mr. E. Bartlett on the River Uyacali, Eastern Peru, with notes and descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 175-201.

[S05] Steinheimer, F. D. 2005. Eduard Rüppel’s avian types at the Natural History Museum, Tring (Aves). Senckenbergiana Biologica 85 (2): 233-264.