Yellow-spotted Barbet,one of the six species of forest Barbet found in Kenya.

Photo by Juhani Vilpo,a Finnish Wildlife Photographer

Barbets are often brightly coloured and easily recognisable since they are pretty active birds and mostly found around fruiting fig trees along rivers edges and forest.They are mostly frugivores and usually swallow fruit whole.With the long time it takes for the fruit to digest,barbets are therefore very effective dispersers of seeds in their respective habitat.

Globally,Barbets are holes nesters either on the trees,termites hills and in the ground and for that reason,their destribution in the local habitat are generally influenced by the presence of suitable trees,particularly those with soft,dead branches,which are much easier to peck out.

Yellow-spotted Barbet,is mostly found in the tropical rain forest of Kakamega in Kenya and extensively in Uganda and Congo.While on the similar habitat here you also have the chance of seeing Hairy-breasted,Grey-throated and Yellow-billed Barbets and all of the extremely beautiful to watch.

Chubb’s Cisticola:The Highland Duetter of Kakamega and South Nandi Forest.

Chubb’s Cisticola.Photo by Juhani Vilpo, a Finnish Wildlife Photographer.

Cisticolas are African warblers which are mostly found in grassland savannas and moist forest habitat of all elevations.Out of 50 species listed,36 of them are found in East Africa and it is known for its field identification nightmares especially if you are birding Africa for the first time.For better identification,it is better to rely on your ears than your eyes….so musical ears and better memory are invaluable assets in this case.

The above photo was taken while on a birding trip to Kakamega forest which is the reliable site to see them in Kenya.