entry smap 247: white-cheeked barbet

if there's a white-cheeked barbet Psilopogon viridis in your neighborhood you will definitely hear it even if you don't see it. their green backs and brown and white heads afford excellent camouflage as they sit upright and still in the trees. but their call is loud and clear starting with a trrrrrrrrrr and continuing koo-too koo-too koo-too for a remarkably long time. the call may vary a little and sound more like
koop-taa koop-taa or as we jokingly say, even like our doctor's name gupta gupta gupta. during courtship the calls are louder and interminable but later in the year the intensity lessens considerably, presumably because they are busy catching insects for the newly hatched chicks.

some years they may nest in our garden but more often they come to feed on the fruit trees, especially the chikoos which are always in season. while they are hard to spot in the trees they like to come for an afternoon bath and drink. we are most happy to accommodate and place a few bowls in the front garden where we can get a good look and photo

this bowl lies under a young bael tree that we planted and are lucky to have growing in the garden with pure sand as soil. birds like to land in it before dropping down to the ground to bathe or drink