Bird Guide

Brown-headed Barbet vs White-cheeked Barbet

Brown-headed Barbet (Psilopogon zeylanicus)

Brown-headed Barbet

Psilopogon zeylanicus

Medium119 gForest

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Brown-headed Barbet
Recorded by Vihansith Kulatunga · Song · Palaiyoothu, Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Wildmishra · CC BY 3.0
White-cheeked Barbet (Psilopogon viridis)

White-cheeked Barbet

Psilopogon viridis

Medium81 gForest

The white-cheeked barbet is 16.5–18.5 cm (6.5–7.3 in) in length. It has a brownish head streaked with white, sometimes giving it a capped appearance. The bill is pale pink. Size varies from the larger northern birds to the southern ones. Like many other Asian barbets, white-cheeked barbets are green, sit still, and perch upright, making them difficult to spot. During the breeding season which begins at the start of summer their calls become loud and constant especially in the mornings. The call, a monotonous Kot-roo...Kotroo...

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the White-cheeked Barbet
Recorded by Jairam Vijayan · Song · Payyavoor, Kannur, Kerala, India · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Devilal · CC0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Brown-headed Barbet and White-cheeked Barbet.