Great Barbet
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| Great Barbet | ||||||||||||||
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 in Kullu - Manali District of Himachal Pradesh, India.
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| Megalaima virens (Boddaert, 1783) |
The Great Barbet, Megalaima virens, is an Asian barbet. Barbets are a group of near passerine birds with a world-wide tropical distribution. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.
The Great Barbet is a resident breeder in the hills from Pakistan east to southern China and Laos. It is a species of broadleaf evergreen woodlands at 600-2,565 m altitude. It nests in a tree hole.
This is the largest barbet at 32-33 cm length and 210 g weight. It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head and short tail.
The adult has a blue head, large yellow bill, brown back and breast, green-streaked yellow belly and red vent. The rest of the plumage is green. Both sexes and immature birds are similar.
The male's territorial call is a very loud kay-oh. The alarm is a harsh keeab, and another call is a repetitive piou-piou-piou-piou.
[edit] References
- Birdlife International
- Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, Birds of India ISBN 0-691-04910-6
- Robson, Craig A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand ISBN-10: 1843309211
