Coppersmith barbet

Introduction: Coppersmith barbet is a very colourful bird of the family Megalamidae. It is a small , plump and beautiful bird with size between 15 cm to 18 cm and weight is between 30 to 50 gram.

How to identify Coppersmith barbet

It's plumage is of grass green colour , throat yellow , breast and forehead is of crimsom colour. It has large head. Crown and nape is green. There are yellow patches above and bellow the eyes.
The tail of coppersmith barbet is short and triangular ; truncated tail is distinctively triangular while flying. Bill is stout and dark. Conspicuous bristles are at the base of the bill. It has short neck. Legs and feet are pinkish red. Though both sexes are similar, female has duller red colour on head and breast.

Habitat of Coppersmith barbet

This coppersmith barbets are moderately forest dependent. Normally occur in altitude from sea level to 1800 m. They are also found in rural garden, orchard and urban areas.
Diet of the coppersmith barbet is mainly fruit., berries, figs, pial fruits, mangoes and also like cricket , grasshoppers and air borne termites.
The call of coppersmith barbet is a 'tuk' , continuously repeted with regular rythom. It sings while it shakes the head and utter some notes in several direction. It is well known for its hammering metallic song sounds like someone hammering a copper shit and that is why it is called " coppersmith".
The call is repeated monotonously for long periods, starting with subdued " tuk " and building up to an even volume and tempo, the latter varrying from 108 to 121 per minute and can continue with as many as 204 notes. They are silent and do not call in winter.
Coppersmith barbet are seen in singly or in small groups. Nesting and breeding season is mainly October to April.
During courtship display, pair may utter duets and perform courtship feeding. During this time we can hear more songs. The bird puff the throat feathers, moves the head by turning and bobbing and flicks the tail.
Both the pair excavate the nest underside of a horizontal branch. Female lays three to four eggs. Though the exact period of incubation is unknown, estimated hatching period is about 2 weeks.
This coppersmith barbet is found in India, Pakisthan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Srilanka to southwest China, Malaysia, Sumatra and in Philippine.

Scientific name: Megalaima heamacephala.

Photo: By me

Next : Common Tailor bird