About Tricholaema hirsuta (Swainson, 1821)
This species, Tricholaema hirsuta (Swainson, 1821), commonly called the hairy-breasted barbet, measures 17–18 cm (6.7–7.1 in) in length and weighs 43–63 g (1.5–2.2 oz). Males have a blue-black head marked with a white superciliary line and a white malar stripe. Their upperparts are black, with yellow spots on the back and yellow bars on the rump; the tail and wings are brown-black, and some wing feathers have yellow edges. The throat is black, while the breast and flanks are yellow with black markings. Males have a black beak, grey legs, and red or red-brown eyes. Females have more golden yellow dorsal markings and underparts than males. Immature individuals have laxer plumage, with paler, sparser spots on the upperparts, and more heavily barred black markings on the vent. Three recognized subspecies differ in their plumage patterns. The subspecies T. h. flavipunctata has no head stripes, with white spots on the face, yellow spots on the head, a browner back, and dull brownish-yellow underparts. T. h. angolensis is browner than T. h. flavipunctata, has fine whitish spots on its face, a brownish vent, and a brown-white throat marked with brown bars. T. h. ansorgii has narrow lines on its face, a white throat streaked with black, a browner upper body, and less bright underparts. The hairy-breasted barbet is distributed across Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. Its total range is estimated to cover 6,840,000 km2 (2,640,000 sq mi). It occurs at elevations up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft), and primarily inhabits lowland primary forests, though it also occurs in older secondary forests.
