Yellow-breasted Barbet (Trachyphonus margaritatus) [XC300786]
by Peter Boesman from Melka Ghebdu, Ethiopia (duet, song, duet song)
Yellow-breasted Barbet (Trachyphonus margaritatus) [XC361800]
by Barry Edmonston from Assamo, Djibouti (song, chorus of 3 individuals)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Red-and-yellow Barbet (Trachyphonus erythrocephalus), and they are sometimes considered conspecific. Both are related rather closely to D'Arnaud's Barbet (Trachyphonus darnaudii), less so to Crested Barbet (Trachyphonus vaillantii). Validity of subdivision into subspecies perhaps questionable. Also, north-eastern Sudan birds, described as subspecies kingi, and those from central Sudan, as berberensis, both considered indistinguishable from nominate.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
margaritatus (Cretzschmar, 1826) - Eastern Mauritania east to Chad, central and north-eastern Sudan, northern Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
somalicus Zedlitz, 1910 - Eastern Ethiopia and Djibouti to northern Somalia.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet