With their gaudy colours, spikey crests and raucous calls, Crested Barbets are sometimes referred to as the punk rockers of the bird world. They are omnivorous, feeding on a variety of fruits as well as insects such as ants, cicadas, dragonflies, crickets, locusts, beetles, moths and mantids. They may even take scorpions and centipedes, as well as lizards, frogs and geckos.

Common throughout most of southern Africa, Crested Barbets nest in holes bored into dead trees, branches or stumps. On occasion, they may nest in riverbanks or termite nests. They are extremely territorial and will chase away all intruders, including birds much bigger than themselves. They have a distinct, rather unmusical shrill and are extremely vocal birds, at times the call continuing for long periods of time.

On a recent visit to the Kruger National Park, I found myself becoming more and more captivated by sightings of birds. Despite the fact that it was during the dry winter months when the migratory birds are far away in the northern hemisphere, it felt as though I was seeing a greater diversity than on many previous occasions; rollers and sunbirds, orioles and kingfishers, barbets, owls and coucals – suddenly it felt as though there were birds everywhere. Looking back at the photographs from the trip, I have become absorbed by the structure of birds, the detail of the feathers, the shape of the bills, the configuration of the tails. As a result of these observations, I’ve now embarked on a series of bird studies – both pencil drawings and watercolours. Given the incredible variety of species in southern Africa, this could be a long journey!

Signed Limited Edition Print on 300 GSM Fine Art Cotton Paper from an original watercolour painting. This print is delivered rolled into a tube, ready for framing. Free worldwide shipping.

Limited Edition of 25 Fine Art Prints.

Size: 420mm x 300mm