Semnornis

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Piciformes

Familia: Semnornithidae
Genus: Semnornis
Species: S. frantzii - S. ramphastinus
Name

Semnornis Richmond, 1900
Synonyms

Tetragonops Jardine, October 1855 (nom. inval., preoccupied, non Tetragonops Gerstäcker, February 1855)
Pan Richmond, 1899 (nom. inval., preoccupied, non Pan Oken, 1816)

References

Richmond, C. W. (1900). The Auk 17: 179.
Richmond, C. W. (1899). The Auk 16: 77.

Vernacular names
English: Toucan barbets
magyar: Bajszika

The toucan-barbets are the small bird genus Semnornis. This was often included in the paraphyletic barbets but recently usually considered a distinct family Semnornithidae; alternatively, all barbets might be moved to the toucan family Ramphastidae as a subfamily, Semnornithinae. It contains only two species, the toucan barbet (S. ramphastinus) and the prong-billed barbet (S. frantzii).

Description

The Semnornis barbets are fairly large barbets, measuring between 18 and 21 cm (7.1 and 8.3 in). The toucan barbet is larger than the prong-billed barbet and considerably heavier.[3] They possess large, swollen bills and lack strong sexual dimorphism in their plumage.[4] The plumage of the prong-billed barbet is orange-brown, and that of the toucan barbet is more distinctively patterned with black, red, grey and gold.[3]
Distribution and habitat

The Semnornis toucan-barbets are found in the Neotropics. The prong-billed barbet is restricted to the humid highland forests of Costa Rica and Panama. The toucan barbet is found in similar habitats in the western montane forests of Ecuador and Colombia. In addition to primary forest they may occupy forest edges and secondary growth. Neither species is migratory, and young birds do not appear to disperse very far after fledging; young toucan barbets only disperse 0.5 km.[3]
Behaviour

The Semnornithidae are highly social, and may be seen either in small groups of up to five or six individuals, or as singles.[3] They are active during the day and are early risers. The prong-billed barbet sleeps in communal roosts at night in the non-breeding season. As many as 19 birds may roost together in a hole, either a modified nest or the abandoned nest of a woodpecker. During the breeding season pairs roost in their own nests.[5]
Diet and feeding

The diet of these two species is made up of fruits and insects. The ratio of the two is more similar to the toucans than other barbets and is dominated by fruits. A 1993 study of the stomach contents of these two species found only fruit.[6] Fruits may be eaten whole, held in the foot and broken and eaten, or crushed and only the juices eaten. Insects are more common in the diet of nestlings, and compose 40% of the food brought to the nest in toucan-barbets. Toucan-barbets may also feed their chicks small numbers of vertebrates.[3] They have also been recorded eating flowers.[5]
Breeding

Both species of toucan-barbet are monogamous breeders. Prong-billed barbets defend breeding territories from all others of their species.[5] Toucan barbets, on the other hand, have territories but are helped in raising the young by helpers.[7]
Species

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Semnornis frantzii	Prong-billed barbet	Costa Rica and western Panama
	Semnornis ramphastinus	Toucan barbet	western Ecuador and Colombia

References

Richmond, Chas (1899). "New Name for the Genus Tetragonops" (PDF). Auk. 16 (1): 77.
Richmond, Charles W. (1900). "Some Necessary Changes in Nomenclature". Auk. 17 (2): 178–179. doi:10.2307/4069180.
Horne, J; Short, L (2002). "Family Capitonidae (Barbets)". In del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 7, Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-84-87334-37-5.
Ripley, S Dillon (1945). "The Barbets". The Auk. 62 (4): 542–563. doi:10.2307/4079804.
Skutch, Alexander (1944). "The Life-History of the Prong-Billed Barbet". Auk. 61 (1): 61–88. doi:10.2307/4079597.
Remsen Jr., J.V.; Hyde, Mary Ann; Chapman, Angela (1993). "The Diets of Neotropical Trogons, Motmots, Barbets and Toucans". The Condor. 95 (1): 178–192. doi:10.2307/1369399. JSTOR 1369399.

Restrepo, Carla; Monddragon, Marta (1998). "Cooperative Breeding in the Frugivorous Toucan barbet (Semnornis ramphastinus)" (PDF). The Auk. 115 (1): 4–15. doi:10.2307/4089106.