Today we are going to familiarize the bird, ed White cheekBarbet or Small green barbet. In ‘Malayalam’ vernacular, the bird is called as “ Chinna Kutturuvan”.
Scientific name of the bird is Psilopogon viridis.
White checked barbet is endemic to the Western Ghats from southern Gujarat through Maharashtra Goa, Karnataka, Kerala . Also occurs in Niligiri and Palni hills in Tamil Nadu. The bird occurs in evergreen and moist deciduous forests, woodlands, sacred groves, + gardens, orchards, plantations, parks in towns and villages.
Typically spending most of its time in the canopy, and difficult to see the birds. The birds occasionally descends to the ground in search of food.
Presence of the bird in the canopy can be assured by its song.
The song begins with a loud introductory trill kurrrrrrrrrrrr of about 1-2 seconds' duration finally settling into a repetitive kutroo - kutroo.
The bird is about 16.5-18.5 cm in length. Upper surface of the head dark brown from forehead to nape, with yellow-green or grayish edges to feathers giving it a somewhat scaled appearance. Upper back to rump is a deep green with some yellow at the tips of feathers. Narrow white superciliary stripe, with a broader white stripe extending under the eye to the base of the ear, under the brown ear-coverts. Tail is small and greenish.
Chin is white, fading to a grayish throat with white streaking, and then to a brown breast with broad white spots.
Belly and vent are pale blue-green, and are of a considerably lighter shade than the back.
Bill is pale pink. Long bristles extend outward from the base of the bill.
Narrow black patch of orbital skin, and eyelids; the eyes themselves are brown .
The legs are blue-gray, with brownish claws .
Sexes are alike. Juveniles have duller plumage then the adult.
Birds Consume diverse fruits, figs and berries, flowers and nectar.
Also take insects, butterflies, dragonflies, mantids, cicadas, beetles, spiders, termites and caterpillars particularly when it has nestlings.
When foraging they are quite aggressive and will attempt to chase other barbets, koels and other frugivores.
Breeding period is December to July. 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.
Excavate nest in dead tree trunks, especially coconut palms. Excavation of nest completes within 20 days.
The nest opening is a narrow, circular, just large enough to fit the bird and exclude predators. Oval nest chamber is lined with wood chips from the excavation.
Lays 3 eggs; eggs are white in colour and measures 29 x 20 mm. Average incubation period is 14-15 days. Both sexes incubate during the day, but the female alone incubates at night while the male roosts nearby. The nestling period lasts 36-38 days. For the first few days, the young ones are mainly fed insects.
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.
In IUCN global Red list, the bird is included under “ Least Concern”.
Негізгі бет White Cheeked Barbet | Small Green Barbet | Chinna Kutturuvan | ചിന്നക്കുട്ടുറുവൻ | പച്ചിലക്കുടുക്ക
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