Great Barbet – call

“We saw this Great Barbet (Megalaima virens magnificus) twice at two different locations. On this occasion it stayed on a high branch for a long time uttering this mournful, harsh cry repeatedly (above, below).

“This call is not the common call used. Short & Horne on the Great Barbet in Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive 2017 describe it as a “harsh ‘karr-r’”. Kazmierczak in A Field Guide to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent 2000 describes as ‘kyarr-r’.

“An audio recording, sonogram and waveform of this call is given above.

“Above is an image of the barbet from a different site. Note the blue in the wing that is illustrated well in some guides and not in others. The striking red vent is also occasional illustrated as more orange.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
10th November 2017

Location: Thoolakharka (also known as Australian Base Camp), Gandaki Zone, Western Region, Nepal, at 2050m ASL
Habitat:Primary forest