The head and chin are dark brown in the nominate race, and the eyes vary from dull red to orange.

[3] The number of races (or species) is not generally agreed upon, and the conservation status of the taxa depends critically on their taxonomic evaluation.

[3] Race C. o. hylophona is sometimes merged with woodwardi in a taxon with tentative species status,[3] the so-called Woodward's barbet.

These birds have the ear coverts and hind brow marked in yellow, as opposed to the dusky-headed populations.

C. o. belcheri, which lacks the yellow ear coverts,[5] is endemic to two isolated inselbergs, and may constitute a third species.