Safari Sri Lanka: Barbets of Sri Lanka

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. There are 26 species living in wooded areas from Tibet to Indonesia.

Brown headed Barbet

The Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica) is an Asian barbet. The Brown-headed Barbet is a resident breeder in the Indian Subcontinent, widespread in India and also seen in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country. The bird is largely frugivorous on mango's, ripe jack, papaya, banana, figs and similar cultivated fruit trees. The adult has a streaked brown head, neck and breast, with a yellow eye patch. The rest of the plumage is green. The bill is thick and red. Sexes are similar.

Yellow fronted Barbet

The Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons) is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Yellow-fronted Barbet is an arboreal species of forests and other woodland, including large gardens, which eats mainly small fruit and only rarely insects. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2-3 eggs. This is a medium-sized barbet at 21 cm. It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head and short tail. The adult Yellow-fronted Barbet has a mainly green body and wing plumage, with a scaly appearance to the breast. It has a blue face and throat, and a yellow crown and moustachial stripes.

Coppersmith Barbet

The Coppersmith Barbet(Megalaima haemacephala), is a bird with crimson forehead and throat which is best known for its metronomic call that has been likened to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer. It is a resident found in the Indian Subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Like other barbets, they chisel out a hole inside a tree to build their nest. They are mainly fruit eating birds (Wikipedia).

Crimson fronted Barbet.

Crimson-fronted Barbet or Ceylon Small Barbet(Megalaima rubricapillus) is a barbet endemic to Sri Lanka. The Crimson-fronted Barbet is an arboreal species of open woodland which eats fruit and insects. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2-4 eggs.This is a small barbet at 15 cm. It is a plump bird with a short neck, large head and short tail. The adult Crimson-fronted Barbet has a mainly green body and wing plumage, a blue band down the side of the head and neck, and a black crescent behind the eye.