page_title: African barbet
section_title: Systematics
hierarchical_section_title: African barbet / Systematics
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Flammenkopf Bartvogel (Trachyphonus erythrocephalus)
context_page_description: The African barbets are birds in the family Lybiidae. They were usually united with their New World and Asian relatives in the Capitonidae for quite some time, but this has been confirmed to be limited to the main New World lineage. There are 43 species ranging from the type genus Lybius of forest interior to the tinkerbirds of forest and scrubland. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the far south-west of South Africa.
  The African terrestrial barbets, Trachyphoninae, range from the southern Sahara to South Africa. Members of one genus, Trachyphonus, they are the most open-country species of barbets. The subfamily Lybiinae contains the African arboreal barbets. There are 37 species of Lybiinae in 6 genera.
context_section_description: Subfamily Lybiinae
  Genus Gymnobucco (4 species)
  Genus Stactolaema (4 species)
  Genus Pogoniulus – tinkerbirds (9 species)
  Genus Buccanodon – yellow-spotted barbets (2 species)
  Genus Tricholaema (6 species)
  Genus Lybius (12 species)
  Subfamily Trachyphoninae
  Genus Trachyphonus (6 species)
  It is not entirely resolved whether the Early to Middle Miocene genus Capitonides from Europe belongs to this family or the Asian barbets (now Megalaimidae). Indeed, given that the prehistoric birds somewhat resembled a primitive toucan (without these birds' present autapomorphies), they might occupy a more basal position among the barbet-toucan clade altogether. On the other hand, they show some similarities to Trachyphonus in particular and have even been placed into this genus, but this move is not widely accepted.
  "CMC 152", a distal carpometacarpus similar to that of barbets and found at the Middle Miocene locality of Grive-Saint-Alban (France) was considered to differ from Capitonides in the initial description, being closer to extant (presumably Old World) barbets. This fossil is sometimes lumped into Trachyphonus too; in this case it may have more merit.
  Supposed fossil remains of Late Miocene Pogoniulus were found at Kohfidisch (Austria) but are not yet thoroughly studied. It is not clear whether they belong to the extant genus but given the late date this may well be so.
caption: Red-and-yellow barbet
  Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
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