Blue-eared Barbet
Encyclopedia
The Blue-eared Barbet, Megalaima australis, is an Asian barbet
. Barbets are a group of near passerine
bird
s with a world-wide tropical distribution. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.
is green, but the subspecies have different head patterns. The adult male of the form, M. a. cyanotis, which occurs from northeast India to peninsular Thailand
has a black forehead, blue midcrown, ear coverts and throat, red markings above and below the earcoverts, and orange cheeks. The female has a duller head pattern with a more orange tint to the patches above and below the ear coverts, and the juvenile has a green head with some blue on the ear coverts and throat.
The male’s territorial call is a repeated loud ko-tek. Other calls include a whistled pleow.
east through Southeast Asia
to Singapore
, Indonesia
and Borneo
. It is a species of broadleaf evergreen forest, mixed woodland and second growth up to 1525 m altitude. It nests in a tree hole.
Subspecies are
Ripley's M. a. eximia, north Borneo, is now usually split as the Bornean Barbet
, M. eximia.
Megalaimidae
A family of birds comprising the Asian barbets, the Megalaimidae were once united with all other barbets in the Capitonidae but they have turned out to be distinct...
. Barbets are a group of near passerine
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s with a world-wide tropical distribution. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.
Description
This small barbet is 17–18 cm in length. It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head and short tail. The bill is dark, and the body plumageFeather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
is green, but the subspecies have different head patterns. The adult male of the form, M. a. cyanotis, which occurs from northeast India to peninsular Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
has a black forehead, blue midcrown, ear coverts and throat, red markings above and below the earcoverts, and orange cheeks. The female has a duller head pattern with a more orange tint to the patches above and below the ear coverts, and the juvenile has a green head with some blue on the ear coverts and throat.
The male’s territorial call is a repeated loud ko-tek. Other calls include a whistled pleow.
Distribution and habitat
The Blue-eared Barbet is a resident breeder in the hills from northeast IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
east through Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. It is a species of broadleaf evergreen forest, mixed woodland and second growth up to 1525 m altitude. It nests in a tree hole.
Subspecies are
- M. a. stuarti, western and central Thailand
- M. a. invisa, northern Thailand
- M. a. orientalis, southeast Thailand and Indo-China
- M. a. duvaucelii, Malaysia, SumatraSumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, and the lowlands of Borneo - M. a. gigantorhina, Nias Islands, west Sumatra
- M. a. tanamassa, Batu Islands, west Sumatra
- M. a. cyanea, Mt. Kinabalu, north Borneo
- M. a. australis, the nominate JavaJavaJava is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
n subspecies - M. a. hebereri, BaliBaliBali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
Ripley's M. a. eximia, north Borneo, is now usually split as the Bornean Barbet
Bornean Barbet
The Bornean Barbet is a species of bird in the Ramphastidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, M. eximia.