Psilopogon australis
The striking Yellow-eared Barbet (Psilopogon australis) is a jewel of Southeast Asian forests, characterized by its vibrant green plumage, a distinctive bright yellow patch covering its auriculars, and a contrasting red crown and blue chin. This relatively small barbet typically measures around 17-19 cm (6.7-7.5 inches) in length, with a sturdy, slightly hooked bill well-suited for its diet. It belongs to the Megalaimidae family, the Asian barbets, closely related to woodpeckers within the or...
This barbet primarily inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forests, favoring dense broadleaf woodlands, forest edges, and plantations. It is typically found at elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,500 meters, though occasionally higher.
The Yellow-eared Barbet's diet consists mainly of fruits, including figs and berries, which it gleans directly from trees. It supplements this frugivorous diet with a variety of insects, especially when feeding young, caught by sallying from branches.
Yellow-eared Barbets are diurnal, spending their days foraging actively in the forest canopy, often alone or in pairs, and typically roost in tree cavities at night. Their foraging strategy primarily involves gleaning fruits directly from trees, sometimes plucking them mid-air, but they also supp...
The Yellow-eared Barbet is a resident species found throughout much of Southeast Asia, with a distribution extending across the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Bali. Its range encompasses countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and southern Thailand. Several subspeci...
Least Concern
- The Yellow-eared Barbet was formerly known as Megalaima australis, reflecting a recent taxonomic shift that split Asian barbets into multiple genera. - Unlike many cavity-nesting birds that reuse old holes, this species is adept at excavating its own nest chambers in dead wood or soft tree trun...