The Black-browed Barbets or Muller’s Barbet (Megalaima oorti) is a bird belonging to the Asian barbet family, Megalaimidae.
Description
It is 20-23.5 cm long.
The plumage is mostly green apart from the head which is patterned with blue, yellow, and red. There is a black stripe above the eye. The bill is black and the feet are grey-green.
The Chinese name for the bird, “five-colored bird” refers to the five colors seen on its plumage. Because of its colorful plumage and that its call resembles that of a wooden fish, the species is also referred to as the “spotted monk of the forest” in Taiwan.
Distribution / Range
It has a scattered distribution in south-eastern Asia, occurring in Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, eastern Cambodia, southern Laos, south-central Vietnam, southern China (Guangxi), and the islands of Hainan and Taiwan.
Endemic subspecies are found on these two islands and they are sometimes considered to be two separate species: Hainan Barbet (M. faber) and Taiwan Barbet (M. nuchalis).
It inhabits tropical and subtropical forests.
Diet / Feeding
Black-browed Barbets forage in the upper and middle levels of the canopy.
Breeding / Nesting
It excavates a nest hole in a tree but little else is known about its breeding habits.
References
- MacKinnon, John and Phillipps, Karen (2000) A Field Guide to the Birds of China. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Robson, Craig (2002) A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia. New Holland, London.
Related Web Resources: Asian Barbet Information … Asian Barbet Species … Asian Barbet Photo Gallery
