
Barbets have fun, simple calls that are easy to remember – I’ll bet you’ve heard them before! Their calls are always part of the background soundtrack – whether in your garden, out in the bush or in coastal forest. Some barbets are rare and localised, but here are the calls of the more common ones to get you started.

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Crested Barbet
Kuifkophoutkapper

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This used to be my favourite bird sound when I was a kid. It sounds like an old school alarm clock. A non-stop trilling sound that can continue for several minutes without a break. Isn’t it amazing how birds don’t need to “catch their breath”? If you listen closely to this clip you’ll hear a second bird trilling further back in the background. When they are angry the trilling sounds more aggressive.
Black-collared Barbet
Rooikophoutkapper

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I was amazed the first time I saw these barbets calling. It sounds like one bird, but it is actually a duet between two birds. One says “two” and the other “puddle”. But their timing is so good that you can barely hear it. Songs often start with raspy growling sounds. I also included a variation that I call the “lonely call” where only one bird calls. And at the end you can hear them chasing away a Lesser Honeyguide.
Acacia Pied Barbet
Bonthoutkapper

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This barbet’s call is a classic sound of dry habitats. There are two parts, that may be given together or separately. The first is a low, musical, hooting sound: oooop, oop-oop-oop… This part sounds a bit like a flufftail, cuckoo or dove. The other part is very different: a penetrating neh, neh, neh… that sounds like the bird’s nose is blocked! I recorded this in Namibia – you can hear lovebirds in the background.
White-eared Barbet
Witoorhoutkapper

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White-eared Barbets can be quite noisy in their forest homes! Their calls are unmusical, harsh kree-kree type sounds. To me it sounds like they are always fighting about something. Perhaps the ripest figs or the best spot to sit on a dead branch? Often a whole group of them will call together. Scan for them on dead branches poking out of the forest canopy.
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Swartblestinker

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Like other tinkerbirds this cute little guy makes a simple pop-pop-pop… sound that continues for long periods. If you’re birding in coastal forest, you’ll hear this in the background all the time. However, Yellow-rumped makes a few pops, then a pause, then a few more. It doesn’t go on and on like the other two on this page. Can you hear the difference?
Red-fronted Tinkerbird
Rooiblestinker

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I recorded this Red-fronted Tinkerbird in a patch of forest near the town of Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal. They have a cool popping sound, but it gets a bit old when you hear it hour after hour! It sounds a lot like Yellow-fronted. If you listen closely you can hear another bird joining in. Towards the end of the clip you can hear another variation.
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Geelblestinker

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Tinkerbirds have really monotonous calls – meaning one tone (boring). The Yellow-fronted and Red-fronted sound the same. A pop-pop-pop...that seems to continue for hours on end, especially when it is hot. They do sometimes make some other sounds too though. In this clip you’ll hear two other examples. This was recorded in the Bushveld of Limpopo Province – what other birds can you hear in the background?

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- Please be careful not to disturb birds too much if you’re playing their sounds.
- All the sound and images on this page are copyright Faansie Peacock/Firefinch App.
- To hear all the bird sounds, check out my Firefinch app on App Store/Google Play.