Fire-tufted_barbet

Fire-tufted barbet

Fire-tufted barbet

Species of bird

The fire-tufted barbet (Psilopogon pyrolophus) is a species of bird in the Asian barbet family Megalaimidae. It is native to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, where it inhabits tropical moist lowland and montane forests. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004.[1] Its scientific name was proposed by Salomon Müller in 1836, who described a barbet from Sumatra.[2]

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...

Description

Adult fire-tufted barbet in Genting Highlands, Malaysia

The fire-tufted barbet is green with a brownish-maroon nape, grey lores, and a white band on the forehead. Its throat is green, followed by a bright yellow band before a black band, appearing like a necklace. The bill is fawn coloured with a black vertical band. It has tufts of feathers at the base of beak. The upper tufts of males are fiery orange. The adult fire-tufted barbet is 28 cm (11 in) long.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Fire-tufted barbet at Fraser's Hill, Malaysia, August 1994

The fire-tufted barbet inhabits broad-leaved evergreen montane forests between 1,070 and 2,010 m (3,510 and 6,590 ft) on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.[3] Three fire-tufted barbets observed on Mount Gede in West Java between 2003 and 2005 are thought to have escaped from aviaries in this area.[4]

Behaviour and ecology

The fire-tufted barbet is a resident bird and feeds on figs, other fruits, arthropods and insects. Its call is very similar to that of cicadas.[5]

Threats

The fire-tufted barbet is primarily threatened by illegal capture and trade as a pet.[6]

References

  1. [1]
    BirdLife International (2016). "Psilopogon pyrolophus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22681588A92912144. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22681588A92912144.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. [2]
    Müller, S. (1835). "Aanteekeningen over de natuurlijke gesteldheid van een gedeelte der westkust en binnenlanden van Sumatra, met bijvoeging van eenige waarnemingen en beschrijvingen van verscheid dieren". Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geschiedenis en Physiologie. 2: 315–355.
  3. [3]
    Robson, C. (2000). A guide to the birds of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  4. [4]
    Van Balen, B. & Noske, R. (2006). "Around the Archipelago". Kukila. 13: 83–88.
  5. [5]
    del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Kirwan, G. M. (2014). "Fire-tufted Barbet Psilopogon pyrolophus". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 7: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
  6. [6]
    Shepherd, C. (2006). "The bird trade in Medan, north Sumatra: an overview". Birding Asia. 5: 16–24.
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