Red-crowned Barbet

The red-crowned barbet, Psilopogon rafflesii, is a medium-large bird of the tropics, measuring between 24.5 and 27 centimeters in length and weighing between 99 and 150 grams. Both sexes exhibit a vibrant plumage predominantly green in color, adorned with a striking red crown, red spots beneath the eyes, and a red mark on the side of the neck. A blue throat and broad supercilia are set against a black and yellow face. The species exhibits monomorphism, with immature and female birds resembling the males but with a somewhat duller color palette.

Identification Tips

When identifying the red-crowned barbet, look for its distinctive red crown and the red markings on its face and neck. The blue throat and the broad supercilia are also key features. The bird's green plumage allows it to blend seamlessly with the forest canopy, but the red and blue accents make it unmistakable upon closer inspection.

Habitat

The red-crowned barbet is known to frequent the lower forest canopies of both secondary and primary-growth forests. It has also been observed in rubber and durian plantations, indicating some adaptability to human-altered landscapes.

Distribution

This species is distributed across the Sundaic region, including south Tenasserim in Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Kalimantan and Sumatra in Indonesia, and Brunei.

Behaviour

The red-crowned barbet is a territorial bird, known to defend its feeding grounds from other barbets. It is also known to follow mixed-species flocks of insectivores and passerines, taking advantage of foraging opportunities in the lower canopy.

Song & calls

The red-crowned barbet's vocalizations include loud and constant calls, with the female emitting a "kotroo kotroo" sound and the male responding with "kurro kuroo." These calls are particularly prominent during the breeding season.

Breeding

The breeding season spans from April to May. Courtship involves preening and food exchange, with the male offering insects and fruits to the female. Nesting occurs in dead trees, with the pair excavating a hole for their eggs. The female lays an average of three glossy white eggs, which are incubated by both parents. Chicks are fed by the parents until they are ready to leave the nest.

Diet and Feeding

The red-crowned barbet's diet consists of a variety of fruits, including those of the oil palm, MacArthur's palm, fishtail palm, and wild cinnamon. It also consumes insects such as grubs, termites, mantises, moths, katydids, and ants, which it forages for by excavating rotten wood.

Conservation status

The red-crowned barbet is currently listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it faces threats that could lead to its becoming endangered if conservation measures are not implemented.