11 Barbets Of Vietnam

Barbets Of Vietnam – Megalaimidae

With 11 species Barbets of Vietnam, occurring over the country. Barbets family mostly has green and lives in tropical forest even in the park of every city with the unique sound of the family. 2 species easy to encounter in Vietnam is Lineated Barbet and Coppersmith Barbet.

You may know: Because of their sing similar to the Pagoda sound 5 species Brown Barbet, Great Barbet, Red-vented Barbet, Green-eared Barbet, and Lineated Barbet called “Bonze” in Vietnamese name.

The overview of Barbets families

The Asian Barbets are a family of bird species, the Megalaimidae, comprising two genera with 35 species native to the forests of the Indomalayan realm from Tibet to Indonesia. They were once clubbed with all barbets in the family Capitonidae but the Old World species have been found to be distinctive and are considered, along with the Lybiidae and Ramphastidae, as sister groups.

In the past, the species were placed in three genera, Caloramphus, Megalaima, and Psilopogon, but studies show that Psilopogon is nested within the clade of Megalaima. Since members of this clade are better treated under a single genus, they have been moved to the genus Psilopogon which was described and erected earlier than Megalaima and is therefore chosen on the basis of taxonomic priority principles.

Nearly all members of the family are now in the genus Psilopogon, with the exception of those in Caloramphus, which are thought to have genetically diverged from the common ancestor around 21.32 million years ago. The latter species are distinct enough to warrant placement in a subfamily Caloramphinae. The family name is derived from that of the genus Megalaima which means ‘large throat’, from the Greek mega (μέγας, ‘large, great’) and laimos (λαιμός, ‘throat’).

Barbets of Vietnam Highlight Note

Great Barbet Psilopogon virens

Status: Uncommon resident

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tour cover: Northern & North of Central

Hotspot: Sa Pa – Fansipan

Red-vented Barbet Psilopogon lagrandieri

Status: Uncommon resident

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tours: Exclude Plains

Hotspot: Cat Tien, Da Lat, Phong Nha

Lineated Barbet Psilopogon lineatus

Status: Local common resident (throughout)

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tours: South and Central

Hotspot: Da Lat, Yok Don, Cat Tien

Coppersmith Barbet Psilopogon haemacephalus

Status: Fairly Common resident (throughout)

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tours: Central & Southern

Hotspot: Cat Tien, Ma Da, Tan Phu

Golden-throated Barbet Psilopogon auricularis

Status: Uncommon resident

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tours: Central & Northern

Hotspot: Di Linh, Dalat, Sa Pa – Fansipan

Moustached Barbet Psilopogon incognitus

Status: Uncommon resident

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tours: Central & Northern

Hotspot: Di Linh, Dalat, Sa Pa – Fansipan

Indochinese Barbet Psilopogon annamensis

Status: Uncommon resident

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tours: Central Vietnam

Hotspot: Da Lat, Bach Ma, Kon Tum

Blue-throated Barbet Psilopogon asiaticus

Status: Fairly Common resident (throughout)

Best time to watch & Photo: Jun-Aug

Tours: North of South & Northern

Hotspot: Sa Pa – Fansipan

Blue-eared Barbet Psilopogon cyanotis

Status: Fairly Common resident (throughout)

Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr

Tour: Throughout

Hotspot: Ho Chi Minh, Mekong Delta

List of all Barbets in Vietnam

All Vietnam Birds Families