Coppersmith Barbet

A small, widespread, and cute little barbet with streaked underparts and a well-patterned face. Most populations have a red forehead, yellow around the eye and throat, and a black eyestripe all bordered at the rear of the crown by a black band. Also note red “badge” on upper chest. Female averages duller than the male, with some yellow on a narrower red “badge”. Immature lacks all red and has faint streaking on the throat. Subspecies in Sumatra, Nusa Tenggara, and the central Philippines have bright red-and-black faces. While common, can be hard to see; listen instead for its call, a prolonged and unmistakable “kuk-kuk-kuk.” Favors open woodlands, forest edge, and gardens in lowland and foothill areas; ranges up into higher elevations in the Philippines and Indonesia.

The coppersmith barbet in Sri Lanka lives in open woodlands, deciduous forests, and human-modified habitats. It can be found in gardens, orchards, plantations, and urban areas.

In Sri Lanka, the Coppersmith Barbet primarily eats a diet consisting of fruits, particularly favoring various types of wild figs (like banyan and peepul), drupes, berries, and occasionally insects, with flower petals also being part of its food intake; essentially, it is considered a frugivore with a preference for diverse fruit sources.