Scientific Name: Psilopogon zeylanicus

IUCN Status: Least Concern

A species of bird with green upper wings and tailfeathers and a brown face, neck, nape, front and upper belly, which is now a common sight in urban habitats. Well-adapted to anthropogenically-disturbed environments, the bird can be seen on branches of urban trees and is well suited for city life. The bird excavates woody species of trees – especially abandoned ones – to build a hollow nest. The brown-headed barbet is known to feed on fruits and insects, with jak, papaya, fig being three kinds of fruits that are part of the diet of this rather conspicuous species.

The eye-catching anatomical feature of this barbet species is the yellow halo which forms a thick ring around the eye. The call of the brown-headed barbet is a series of “Kutrook”s which can be heard as long medleys or as short vocalizations.

The barbet species is labeled as “Least Concern” according to IUCN classification. There are three subspecies that have specific ranges within South Asia.

Geographic range:

• Psilopogon zeylanicus zeylanicus: South India and Sri Lanka
• Psilopogon zeylanicus inornatus: Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka in India
• Psilopogon zeylanicus caniceps: Nepal and north India

Source: Avibase, E-bird and Wikipedia.