BENGALURU: (The writer is a member of Birdwatchers Field Club of Bangalore)The Small Green Barbet is a resident bird and is found in most of the gardens and parks in the city, and also on the avenue trees.
How do you spot them?
Also named White-cheeked Barbet, the Small Green Barbet, can be easily found in South India. This specie of bird has a conspicuous white patch just under its eye. Their head is dull brown with white streaks and its body is green in colour, which mixes with the colour of green leaves of the trees, thereby, making it difficult to locate. It is slightly bigger and plumper than a House Sparrow and has a stout and pointed, light-pink beak. In Northern India, we only get to see its larger cousin -- the Large Green Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica).
Interesting facts
The Small Green Barbet is a resident bird and is found in most of the gardens and parks in the city, and also in the avenue trees. These birds are heard more than seen as they seldom some down to the ground. They move from one branch to another looking out for small ripe fruits. They are fond of Ficus fruits (Figs) but are sometimes even feast on large fruits like ripened papayas. The males birds, especially during the breeding season, are very vociferous. Their characteristic call “Tut-turr, tut-turr, tut-turr, tut-turr......” goes on for almost a minute. They are mainly frugivorous birds -- they depend on wide variety of small fruits and berries for their food. They sometimes eat insects too. These are ‘primary hole-nesting birds’. They use their strong bills to make holes in trees which they use as nest. They chisel out a round hole in the trunk or a vertical branch of tree. Their breeding months are from late November to July. Both the male and female work together to excavate nest hole. It usually takes about two to three weeks to complete the process. The female lays 3-4 eggs. They duo then protect their nests from other birds and squirrels. The young Barbet chicks are mostly fed insects.Like many other members of the Barbet family, these Small Green Barbets too play an important role as seed dispersal agents -- which is vital for tree cover.
Threats and disturbances
They usually prefer to make dead branches of trees their home by digging into it.
But as the dead branches are usually chopped away from the trees to collect wood fuel, these birds are being depriving of their vital nesting sites.