Megalaima zeylanica (*) Cladus: Eukaryota Name Megalaima zeylanica (Gmelin, 1788) Reference Systema Naturae 1 pt1 p.408 Vernacular names --------- The Brown-headed Barbet or Large Green Barbet[1] (Megalaima zeylanica) is an Asian barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. The Brown-headed Barbet is a resident breeder in India and Sri Lanka. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country which eats fruit and insects. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2-4 eggs. This is a relatively large barbet at 27 cm. It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head and short tail. 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. The White-cheeked Barbet largely replaces this species in the Western Ghats and hilly parts of southern peninsular India although both species may occur in many places. The calls of this species is similar but the white cheek patch is distinctive. The call is a repetitive kutroo…kutroo…kutroo. Others take up the call when one starts. Somewhat silent in the winter. In Culture In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as Polos Kottoruwa in Sinhala Language[2][3] References 1. ^ Ali, Salim; JC Daniel (1983). The book of Indian Birds, Twelfth Centenary edition. Bombay Natural History Society/Oxford University Press. bird #309. * BirdLife International (2004). Megalaima zeylanica. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern Source: Wikispecies, Wikipedia: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
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