White-cheeked barbet
The white-cheeked barbet is a small green barbet found only in
southern India. It has a distinctive whitish supercilium and a broad
whitish cheek stripe below the eye. It has brown head with whitish
streaking. The neck, nape and breast are brown with whitish streaking.The
bill is pale pinkish.
Local Names :
Malayalam - chinnakutturuvan
Tamil –
Chinna Kukkuruvaan
Hindi – Chhota basanta
Like many other barbets of Asia, 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. Heard more often than seen.
The diet of white-cheeked barbet consists mainly of fruits. Wild fruits,
figs, cultivated fruits, berries are their primary food. These species
occasionally eat insects.
These white-cheeked barbet are known to raid orchards, fruit plantations,
rural gardens and urban fruit trees, causing considerable damage to the
fruit crops.
The nest hole is usually made in dead branches.Both sexes excavate the
nest and it can take about 20 days to complete the nest. Eggs are laid
about 3–5 days after nest excavation. About 3 eggs are laid. The
incubation period is 14 to 15 days. During the day both sexes incubate,
but at night, only the female sits on the eggs.
These white-cheeked barbet species are non-migratory, resident
birds.
References
The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)
Wikipedia
indianbirds.thedynamicnature.com
Pictures:
Thoovampallil house, Chettikulangara, Kerala(2018, 2019)
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