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Great barbet

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Great barbet
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Megalaimidae
Genus: Psilopogon
Species:
P. virens
Binomial name
Psilopogon virens
(Boddaert, 1783)

The great barbet (Psilopogon virens) is an Asian barbet native to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia, where it inhabits foremost forests up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) altitude. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004 because of its wide distribution.[1]

Taxonomy

Bucco virens was the scientific name proposed by Pieter Boddaert in 1783 for a great barbet that had been described by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1781 based on a specimen collected in China.[2][3] The generic name Megalaima was proposed by George Robert Gray in 1842 who suggested to use this name instead of Bucco.[4][5]

The great barbet was subordinated to the genus Psilopogon in 2004 following results of a molecular phylogenetic study of barbets, which indicated that Megalaima forms a clade that also includes the fire-tufted barbet.[6]

Four great barbet subspecies are recognised:[7]

  • P. v. virens (Boddaert, 1783) occurs from central Myanmar, Thailand to Vietnam and China
  • P. v. marshallorum (Swinhoe, 1870) occurs from northeastern Pakistan to western Nepal
  • P. v. magnificus (Baker, 1926) occurs from eastern Nepal to Assam
  • P. v. clamator (Mayr, 1941) occurs from Assam and northern Myanmar to northern Thailand and Yunnan in China

Etymology

The generic name Psilopogon combines the Ancient Greek psilos meaning "bare" and pōgōn meaning "beard". The specific epithet virens is the Latin word for "green".[8]

Description

The great barbet has a blue head, large yellow bill, brown and green-streaked body, belly and a red vent. The plumage is green. It is the largest barbet species at 32–35 cm (13–14 in) in length and a weight of 192–295 g (6.8–10.4 oz).[7]

Distribution and habitat

The great barbet is a resident breeder in the lower-to-middle altitudes of the Himalayas, ranging across northern India, Nepal and Bhutan, Bangladesh and some parts of Southeast Asia, as far away as Laos.[1][9]

Behaviour and ecology

The great barbet's nesting season is from April to July. It typically builds nests in tree holes. The male and female birds share the parental duties. Its diet consists mainly of fruits and insects.[9]

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.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2016). "Psilopogon virens". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. IUCN: e.T22681591A130043742. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22681591A130043742.en.
  2. ^ Boddaert, P. (1783). "871. Le grand Barbu, Buff. XIII". Table des Planches Enluminées d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton : avec les denominations de M.M. de Buffon, Brisson, Edwards, Linnaeus et Latham, precedé d'une notice des principaux ouvrages zoologiques enluminés (in French). Utrecht. p. 53. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Buffon, G.-L. L. (1781). "Le grand Barbu". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. Volume 13. Paris: L'Imprimerie Royale. p. 159. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Gray, G. R. (1842). "Appendix to a List of the Genera of Birds". A List of the Genera of Birds (Second ed.). London: R. and J. E. Taylor. p. 12. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Peters, J. L., ed. (1948). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. Volume 6. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 31. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ Moyle, R. G. (2004). "Phylogenetics of barbets (Aves: Piciformes) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 30: 187–200. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00179-9.
  7. ^ a b c del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Kirwan, G. M. (2014). "Great Barbet Psilopogon virens". Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. Volume 7: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Jobling, J. A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 321, 402. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  9. ^ a b Ali, S. (1996). The Book of Indian Birds. Oxford: Oxford University Press.


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