White-cheeked Barbet
Encyclopedia
The White-cheeked Barbet or Small Green Barbet (Megalaima viridis) is a species of barbet
found in southern India. It is very similar to the more widespread Brown-headed Barbet
(or Large Green Barbet) (Megalaima zeylanica) but this species has a distinctive supercilium and a broad white cheek stripe below the eye and is endemic to the forest areas of the Western Ghats
and adjoining hills. The Brown-headed Barbet has an orange eye-ring but the calls are very similar and the two species occur together in some of the drier forests to the east of the Western Ghats. Like all other Asian barbets
they are mainly frugivorous although they may sometimes eat insects and they use their bills to excavate nest cavities in trees.
or Coppersmith Barbet
. Other harsh calls are produced during aggressive encounters.
The head is brownish streaked with white, sometimes giving it a capped appearance. The bill is pale pinkish. The length is 165-185mm, head of 51-53mm and tail of 60-67mm. Size varies from the larger northern birds to the southern ones.
These birds are mostly frugivorous, but will take winged termites and other insects opportunistically. They feed on the fruits of various Ficus
species including Ficus benjamina and Ficus mysorensis, and other introduced fruit trees such as Muntingia calabura
. When foraging they are quite aggressive and will attempt to chase other barbets, Koels
and other frugivores.
which was once said to occur there.
Delonix regia and African Tulip
Spathodea campanulata. These nest holes may also be used as roosts. They may reuse the same nest tree each year but often excavate a new entrance hole.
These barbets play an important role in forests as seed dispersal agents. They also visit the flowers of Bombax for nectar and may be involved in pollination.
These barbets are arboreal and will rarely visit the ground. They obtain most of the water they need from their fruit diet. When water is available in a tree hole, they will sometimes drink and bathe.
Their fruit eating makes them a minor nuisance in fruit orchards although they are noted as having a beneficial effect in coffee plantations.
A species of tick in the genus Haemaphysalis
is known to be specific in its parasitic association with this species and some species of Leucocytozoon are known to be blood parasites. Some species of Haemaphysalis are known to carry the virus responsible for the Kyasanur forest disease
. Shikra
s have been recorded preying on adults.
Salim Ali
noted that some birds may call in the night during the breeding season, but this has been questioned by other observers such as K K Neelakantan who note that these birds appear to be strictly diurnal.
The nest hole is usually made in dead branches. These barbets are aggressive towards smaller hole-nesters such as the Malabar Barbet
, sometimes destroying their nests by pecking at the entrance. Both sexes excavate the nest and it can take about 20 days to complete the nest. Eggs are laid about 3–5 days after nest excavation. About 3 eggs are laid. The incubation period is 14 to 15 days. During the day both sexes incubate but at night only the female sits on the eggs. The pair will defend their nests from palm squirrels which sometimes prey on the eggs. Chicks are fed an insect rich diet. The young leave the nest after 36 to 38 days.
Barbet
American barbets, family Capitonidae, are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes which inhabit humid forests in Central and South America. They are closely related to the toucans....
found in southern India. It is very similar to the more widespread Brown-headed Barbet
Brown-headed Barbet
The Brown-headed Barbet or Large Green Barbet is an Asian barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.The Brown-headed Barbet is a resident breeder in India and...
(or Large Green Barbet) (Megalaima zeylanica) but this species has a distinctive supercilium and a broad white cheek stripe below the eye and is endemic to the forest areas of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
and adjoining hills. The Brown-headed Barbet has an orange eye-ring but the calls are very similar and the two species occur together in some of the drier forests to the east of the Western Ghats. Like all other Asian barbets
Megalaimidae
A family of birds comprising the Asian barbets, the Megalaimidae were once united with all other barbets in the Capitonidae but they have turned out to be distinct...
they are mainly frugivorous although they may sometimes eat insects and they use their bills to excavate nest cavities in trees.
Description
Like many other barbets of Asia, these are green, sit still and perch upright making them difficult to spot. During the breeding season which begins at the start of summer their calls become loud and constant especially in the mornings. The call, a monotonous Kot-roo ... Kotroo... starting with an explosive trrr is not easily differentiated from that of the Brown-headed Barbet. During hot afternoons, they may also utter a single note wut not unlike the call of Collared Scops OwlCollared Scops Owl
The Collared Scops Owl is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from northern Pakistan, northern India and the Himalayas east to south China. It is partially migratory, with some birds wintering in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia...
or Coppersmith Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
The Coppersmith Barbet, Crimson-breasted Barbet or Coppersmith , is a bird with crimson forehead and throat which is best known for its metronomic call that has been likened to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer. It is a resident found in South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia...
. Other harsh calls are produced during aggressive encounters.
These birds are mostly frugivorous, but will take winged termites and other insects opportunistically. They feed on the fruits of various Ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
species including Ficus benjamina and Ficus mysorensis, and other introduced fruit trees such as Muntingia calabura
Muntingia calabura
Muntingia calabura, the sole species in the genus Muntingia, is a flowering plant native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and western South America south to Peru and Bolivia...
. When foraging they are quite aggressive and will attempt to chase other barbets, Koels
Asian Koel
The Asian Koel is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. It is found in South Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related Black-billed and Pacific Koels which are sometimes treated as subspecies...
and other frugivores.
Distribution
The main range is along the Western Ghats south from the Surat Dangs and along the associated hills of southern India into parts of the southern Eastern Ghats mainly in the Shevaroy and Chitteri hills. In some areas such as in the city of Bangalore, it has been suggested that this species may have displaced the Brown-headed BarbetBrown-headed Barbet
The Brown-headed Barbet or Large Green Barbet is an Asian barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.The Brown-headed Barbet is a resident breeder in India and...
which was once said to occur there.
Behaviour and ecology
These birds are primary cavity nesters, chiseling out the trunk or a vertical branch of tree with a round entry hole. They breed from December to July, sometimes raising two broods. Favoured nest trees in urban areas include GulmohurRoyal Poinciana
Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant from the Fabaceae family, Caesalpinioideae subfamilia, noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. In many tropical parts of countries around the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and in English it is given the name Royal...
Delonix regia and African Tulip
Spathodea
Spathodea is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the Fountain Tree, African Tulip Tree, Flame-of-the-forest, Rudra Palash, Pichkari or Nandi Flame. It is a tree that grows between tall and is...
Spathodea campanulata. These nest holes may also be used as roosts. They may reuse the same nest tree each year but often excavate a new entrance hole.
These barbets play an important role in forests as seed dispersal agents. They also visit the flowers of Bombax for nectar and may be involved in pollination.
These barbets are arboreal and will rarely visit the ground. They obtain most of the water they need from their fruit diet. When water is available in a tree hole, they will sometimes drink and bathe.
Their fruit eating makes them a minor nuisance in fruit orchards although they are noted as having a beneficial effect in coffee plantations.
A species of tick in the genus Haemaphysalis
Haemaphysalis
Haemaphysalis is a genus of tick.-Species:* Haemaphysalis aborensis Warburton, 1913* Haemaphysalis aciculifer Warburton 1913* Haemaphysalis aculeata Lavarra, 1904* Haemaphysalis adleri Feldman-Muhsam, 1951...
is known to be specific in its parasitic association with this species and some species of Leucocytozoon are known to be blood parasites. Some species of Haemaphysalis are known to carry the virus responsible for the Kyasanur forest disease
Kyasanur forest disease
Kyasanur forest disease is a tick-borne viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to South Asia. The disease is caused by a virus belonging to the family flaviviridae, which also includes yellow fever and dengue fever.-History:...
. Shikra
Shikra
The Shikra is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the Little Banded Goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usually been considered as subspecies of the Shikra...
s have been recorded preying on adults.
Salim Ali
Salim Ali (ornithologist)
Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Known as the "birdman of India", Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and his bird books helped develop ornithology...
noted that some birds may call in the night during the breeding season, but this has been questioned by other observers such as K K Neelakantan who note that these birds appear to be strictly diurnal.
Courtship and breeding
In southern India (Periyar Tiger Reserve) these barbets begin breeding in December and continue to nest until May. This species is believed to form a pair bond that lasts for longer than a single breeding season. Calling is intense during the courtship period. Courtship feeding of the female by the male is usual prior to copulation. Calling intensity drops after the hatching of the eggs.The nest hole is usually made in dead branches. These barbets are aggressive towards smaller hole-nesters such as the Malabar Barbet
Malabar Barbet
The Malabar Barbet is a small barbet found in the Western Ghats of India. It was formerly treated as a race of the Crimson-fronted Barbet. It overlaps in some places with the range of the Coppersmith Barbet .-Description:This species can be told apart from the Coppersmith Barbet by the crimson...
, sometimes destroying their nests by pecking at the entrance. Both sexes excavate the nest and it can take about 20 days to complete the nest. Eggs are laid about 3–5 days after nest excavation. About 3 eggs are laid. The incubation period is 14 to 15 days. During the day both sexes incubate but at night only the female sits on the eggs. The pair will defend their nests from palm squirrels which sometimes prey on the eggs. Chicks are fed an insect rich diet. The young leave the nest after 36 to 38 days.
Other sources
- Yahya, H. S. A. (1980) A comparative study of ecology and biology of barbets Megalaima spp. (Capitonidae: Piciformes) with special reference to Megalaima viridis and M. rubricapilla malabarica at Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala. Ph.D thesis, University of Bombay.
- Hari Sridhar and K. Sankar (2008). Effects of habitat degradation on mixed-species bird flocks in Indian rain forests. Journal of Tropical Ecology 24:135-147