Malabar barbet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malabar barbet |
|
|---|---|
_-_Male_-_Sakleshpur_-_India_-2009.jpg) |
|
| An adult Malabar Barbet in Sakleshpur |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Psilopogon
|
| Species: |
malabaricus
|
 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Bucco malabaricus, Xantholaema malabarica, Megalaima malabarica |
|
The Malabar Barbet (Psilopogon malabaricus) is a colorful bird. It lives in the Western Ghats region of India. This bird is a type of Asian barbet.
It was once thought to be a kind of crimson-fronted barbet. The Malabar Barbet sometimes lives in the same places as the coppersmith barbet. Its call sounds like the coppersmith barbet's, but it is much faster!
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
This bird is easy to recognize. It has a bright crimson (deep red) face and throat. This helps you tell it apart from the coppersmith barbet. Its call notes are delivered very quickly.
Where Do They Live?
The Malabar Barbet lives in the Western Ghats of India. You can find them from Goa south to southern Kerala. They prefer moist evergreen forests. They usually live below 1200 meters (about 3,900 feet) in elevation. You can also spot them in coffee farms. These birds often visit Ficus trees when they have fruit. They sometimes join groups of green pigeons and mynas.
Malabar Barbet Life
Malabar Barbets are usually seen in pairs when they are breeding. But when it's not breeding season, they like to gather in groups. When they fly, they move straight and fast. Their flight can look a bit like lorikeets.
Reproduction and Nesting
The breeding season for Malabar Barbets is mainly in February and March. This is before the rainy season starts. They dig their nest holes on the underside of thin tree branches. It takes them about 18 days to dig a nest. Sometimes, bigger barbets might try to make the hole larger. This can destroy the nest.
Malabar Barbets make a new nest every year. They might dig more than one hole. Any extra holes can be used for sleeping. A female barbet usually lays two eggs. The parents sit on the eggs for about 14 to 15 days.
Chicks and Diet
Palm squirrels sometimes try to eat the eggs. The adult barbets usually chase them away. If an egg does not hatch, the parents remove it. For the first week, the baby chicks eat insects. After that, they start eating fruits. The chicks leave the nest after about 35 days.
Malabar Barbets mostly eat fruits. But they also eat grubs, termites, ants, and small caterpillars. In Kerala, they mainly eat fruits from Ficus trees. These include Ficus retusa, Ficus gibbosa, and Ficus tsiela. When they eat small fruits, they usually peck at them. They do not swallow the whole fruit. When it's not breeding season, they often join mixed-species foraging flocks. This means they look for food with other types of birds.
