Great barbet / The Himalayan barbet /Asian Barbet

   Great Barbet 

(Psilopogon virens)

                 Kingdom : Animalia  Phylum: Chordata, Class :  Aves, Species:  P. virens,  

Photo Courtesy :- Mohd Ayoub Nayiak (Great Barbet)

                                         

Barbets

Barbets are stout-billed, fruit-eating tree haunting birds. They have monotonous calls of two or three notes, which they utter frequently. They lay their eggs in holes which they excavate in trees.

The Asian great Barbets (Megalaima virens) are the biggest of all barbet species. The call "Barbet" is derived from the French phrase "barbe", which means that "beard," and on this context refers to the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.

Photo Courtesy :- Mohd Ayoub Nayiak (Great Barbet)

Distribution / Habitat

The awesome Barbets' herbal variety stretches from north-jap Pakistan through the Himalayas east to southern China and south to Laos in northern Indochina, Thailand and Burma / Myanmar. They are usually located in broadleaf evergreen forests among about 2,000 - eight,500 feet (six hundred - 2,565 meters). They're resident (non-migratory) inside their variety. They may be normally seen alone or in pairs, besides after having raised younger in which case fledglings may additionally accompany them. Large numbers of them may also arise at preferred fruit trees.

Photo Courtesy :- Mohd Ayoub Nayiak (Great Barbet)

Size

This biggest of all barbet species measures about 12.6 - 13 inches (32 – 33 cm) in duration (consisting of the quick tail) and weighs about 7.Four ounces (210 g). It has a fantastically huge head and Brief neck.

Plumage Details / Adults

The plumage is essentially inexperienced, except for the blue head, the brown again and chest, the green-streaked yellow stomach and the pink vent. Huge yellow bill with black culmen (higher ridge of the beak). The flight is powerful however dipping.

Photo Courtesy :- Mohd Ayoub Nayiak (Great Barbet)

Diet / Feeding

Fantastic Barbets commonly feed on culmination, flowers, buds and seeds, however will also eat a wide variety of insects, together with moths, mantis, ants, cicadas, dragonflies, crickets, locusts and beetles.

They usually forage inside the better branches of tall timber.

Breeding / Nesting

They generally nest in tree cavaties which can be the abandoned nesting- holes of Woodpeckers or herbal hollows, among 10- 15 ft( three-4.6 measures) from the ground. The average clutch includes 2- four eggs( occasionally five) that frequently show veritably faint, depressed strains walking longitudinally down the eggs. The incubation duration( to hatching) is set 13- 15 days.

Photo Courtesy :- Mohd Ayoub Nayiak (Great Barbet)

Calls / Sounds

The male's territorial call is described as a completely loud kay-oh. Other vocalizations embody the alarm / sentinel call - a harsh keeab; repetitive and wailing notes of pio-pio-pio-pio and un-nee ao, un-nee ao.

Gender ID

Males and females look alike