The Usambiro barbet (Trachyphonus usambiro) is a species of bird in the African barbet family Lybiidae. It was formerly considered a subspecies of D'Arnaud's barbet, along with Emin's barbet, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021. It varies from the nominate in having longer wings, a shorter tail, and darker bill. The Usambiro barbet was originally described as a subspecies of D'Arnaud's barbet in 1908 by Oscar Rudolph Neumann from a specimen collected in Usambiro in Tanzania. It is now treated as a valid species in its own right.del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Kirwan, G.M. (2017). Usambiro Barbet (Trachyphonus usambiro). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/467444 on 10 March 2017.
It is found in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, and in Maasai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti National Park as free-ranging wildlife. The species inhabits open areas including savannah, grassland, shrubland and pastures. It ranges from above sea-level. Where the species' range overlaps with the Red-and-yellow barbet, this species will avoid the streambeds favoured by the larger red-and-yellow barbet and occupies flat areas.
The Usambiro barbet is long and weighs . The head is yellow with black spots and the wings are black with white spots. The breast is also yellow with a dark breast band. The belly is pale yellow with a reddish vent. The sexes are similar.
The diet of this species is assumed to be the same as the D'Arnaud's barbet, comprising seeds, fruit and a wide range of insects.
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