Brown-headed Barbet

Psilopogon zeylanicus

Asian Barbets · Piciformes · Uncommon

The Brown-headed Barbet (Psilopogon zeylanicus) is a uncommon asian barbet found in 4 countries, weighing about 119 g. The brown-headed barbet is an Asian barbet species native to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests.

Least ConcernUncommonEats fruitforestcavity nest119 g

About the Brown-headed Barbet

The brown-headed barbet is an Asian barbet species native to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The adult has a streaked brown head, neck and breast, and a yellow eye patch. The rest of the plumage is green. It is 27 cm (11 in) long with a large head, short neck and short tail. Its call is a repetitive kutroo…kutroo…kutroo, but silent in the winter. Others take up the call when one starts.

What the Brown-headed Barbet sounds like

Recording: Vihansith Kulatunga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: Vihansith Kulatunga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

When to see it

The Brown-headed Barbet can be seen all year round, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Brown-headed Barbet?
The adult has a streaked brown head, neck and breast, and a yellow eye patch. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Brown-headed Barbet?
The Brown-headed Barbet is a medium sized bird weighing about 119 g.
Where can you see a Brown-headed Barbet?
The Brown-headed Barbet occurs in 4 countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan.
What does a Brown-headed Barbet sound like?
You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Brown-headed Barbet on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
What birds look similar to a Brown-headed Barbet?
The Brown-headed Barbet is most easily confused with the Blue-throated Barbet, the Taiwan Barbet and the Lineated Barbet.
Is the Brown-headed Barbet endangered?
The Brown-headed Barbet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Brown-headed Barbet for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

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