Articles from February 2012



Red-throated Barbet

Red-throated Barbet male

The Red-throated Barbet Megalaima mystacophanos is a common bird of the lowland forest.  Its calls varies from a single tok to a series of 4 notes.  The single note does sound like that uttered by the Gold-whiskered Barbet.

The female has been a source of confusion for some birders.  I have seen trip reports which listed the Mountain Barbet as seen in lowland forest such as Poring Hotsprings.  Both sexes of the Mountain Barbet resemble the female Red-throated which is differentiated by a small red spot at the base of the rictal bristles on each side.  For habitat, the Red-throated is replaced by the Mountain from around 1,000m in most places.

Red-throated Barbet female