Black-collared Barbet (Lybius torquatus) [XC202630]
by Rory Nefdt from Palabana, Chongwe District, Zambia (duet, song)
Black-collared Barbet (Lybius torquatus) [XC758561]
by Paul Driver from Sioma Camp, Senanga, Western Province, Zambia (duet, song)
Subspecies
Closest relative is Black-billed Barbet (Lybius guifsobalito) (with similar size, coloration, displays, sexual duet roles), but the two are not so close as to form a superspecies. They react strongly to playback of each other's voice. Also related, less closely, to Red-faced Barbet (Lybius rubrifacies). Subspecies bocagei intergrades with congicus and torquatus, and both vivacens and irroratus intergrade with zombae; partly white morphs occur in at least two subspecies (zombae, irroratus), and have been treated as subspecies under names "albigularis" and "nampunju". Birds from western Zimbabwe described as lucidiventris are inseparable from bocagei. In past, subspecies bocagei was erroneously listed as a subspecies of White-eared Barbet (Stactolaema leucotis).
The following 7 subspecies are recognised:
pumilio Grote, 1927 - Eastern Zaire, southern Uganda, eastern Rwanda and western Tanzania south to north-eastern and eastern Zambia, northern and western Malawi and north-western Mozambique.
irroratus (Cabanis, 1878) - Coastal eastern Kenya south to central-eastern Tanzania.
zombae (Shelley, 1893) - South-eastern Tanzania to south-central Malawi and north-eastern and central Mozambique.
congicus (Reichenow, 1898) - Northern and north-central Angola east to south-central Zaire and north-western Zambia.
bocagei (Sousa, 1886) - Southern Angola and north-eastern Namibia east to south-western Zambia, northern Botswana and western Zimbabwe.
vivacens Clancey, 1977 - Eastern Zimbabwe and southern Malawi to west-central and south-central Mozambique.
torquatus (Dumont, 1816) - South-eastern Botswana and Transvaal east to Swaziland and eastern South Africa.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet