Howdy, friends.  I have another gorgeous barbet for you this week.  I am having some trouble finding information online about these birds, or at least free information.  Which is odd, because many of them are fairly common, with last week’s in particular being described as ubiquitous throughout its large range.  I guess I could look in a book, but what am I, some kind of nerd who works in a library?  Perish the thought.  Anyway, with all that is going on in the world and in my life I feel like brief tidbits about very pretty birds is about where I’m at in terms of how much time I can spare and how much I need to look at soothing nature.  

Our bird this week is the red-crowned barbet, native to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei.  Due to a lack of trees in Singapore, there it is limited to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and is not found in nature there.  

The red-crowned barbet lives in subtropical and tropical lowland forests, both primary and secondary growth forests, as well as plantations.  It eats fruits that live in the upper canopy, like figs, but seems to derive much of its varied diet from the lower forest canopy.  Its large beak is ideal for tearing open rotten wood to reveal the delicious grubs within, as well as eating termites, mantids, moths, katydids, ants and even snails.  It follows other insectivores and passerine birds (members of the sparrow family, several of whom we have covered) as they forage in the lower canopy.  Like just about every other lifeform, it is not about stealing a meal from another animal that got to it first.  

Breeding pairs find each other by exchanging calls.  The male will then sidle up and begin preening the female.  Should she be down, he will fly off in search of food.  Once food has been provided the female will signal her consent to continue by shaking her tail feathers and fluffing out the rest of them.  

The pair will work together to excavate a nest about 6-9 m (20-30 ft) off the ground in a dead tree.  The barbets tend to make sure the entrance to the nest faces south.  The theory here is that this will protect the entrance from monsoon rains.  

The red-crowned barbet is considered near-threatened by the IUCN.  Although it has a very large range, that range is undergoing a lot of deforestation and the population is thought to be in decline.  It is not more threatened due to its ability to adapt to some human environments.  

Be good to each other, folks.  And take care of yourselves.  Rest is not a reward.  Have a good weekend.

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