Coppersmith Barbet

The Coppersmith Barbet known by other names like Crimson-breasted Barbet or Coppersmith

has the scientific name Megalaima haemacephala is a bird with Grass green color feathers which is a resident of India and other countries of South Asia. About nine subspecies of Coppersmith Barbet is recognized.

The other Indian local names of this species are tuktukiya, Basanta and thathera. The quick classification of Coppersmith Barbet is as below,

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Piciformes
Family	Megalaimidae
Genus	Megalaima
Species	M. haemacephala

Physical Characteristics:

This grass green colored bird with crimson colored forehead and breast has a very distinct call which is more likely the sound made when the coppersmith strikes the metal with hammer. It has distinct colors throughout its body with red forehead, yellow colored eye-ring and throat patch with streaks underside and upper parts are colored green. Both males and females are alike.Juveniles look duller and don't have red patches. It is best known for its metronomic call. Like other barbets, they build their nest by chiseling out a hole inside a tree.


In Western Ghats, they overlap with Malabar Barbet which looks similar to Coppersmith Barbet but differs only in the call. During the nesting season, the abrasion on the feathers can make the plumage of the upper back to appear bluish. They are 17 cm in its body size.

The nine subspecies of coppersmith barbets are,
• Megalaima haemacephala homochroa - Found in Tablas
• Megalaima haemacephala cebuensis - Found in Cebu
• Megalaima haemacephala intermedia - Found in Negros, Guimaras and Panay
• Megalaima haemacephala mindanensis - Found in Cebu
• Megalaima haemacephala celestinoi - Found in Samar, Catanduanes, Leyte and Biliran
• Megalaima haemacephala haemacephala - found in Islands of Luzon and Mindro
• Megalaima haemacephala rosea - Found in Java
• Megalaima haemacephala Delica - Found in Sumatra
• Megalaima haemacephala indica - Found in Indian subcontinent, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam

Food Habits:

Coppersmith Barbet is a fruit eating bird. They feed on various fruits like berries, drupes, lemon or Nimbu, guava, wild fig and could be seen sitting on banyan and peepal trees. Occasionally they feed on insects and on the petals of flowers. They eat nearly 3 times their body weight per day.

Behavior:

They beat the wings heavily and loud noise is produced which could be heard from a far distance. They find shelter in the holes of the large and tall trees and cover large area of the forest making itself busy in search of food. They at times fly at great height over forests. Few birds are held in captivity and only few breed well. While sleeping, they take their neck back and the bill is held upwards at an angle.

They are seen solitary, pairs or in small groups containing 4 to 5 birds. Larger groups are seen occasionally on fruit trees like fig, banyan or peepal trees. They keep shunting themselves on the top of the branches of a tall tree. They fight among each to sit on the branches.The flight of this bird is straight with quick flaps.

They usually compete with other cavity nesting birds.

The call is a loud and resembles to the metallic tuk–tuk–tuk (or tunk), sound of a coppersmith beating a copper sheet. The call is repeated monotonously for long periods, it starts with a low volumed tuk and slowly raising the volume and tempo.

The equal volume and tempo is maintained for about 108 to 121 per minute and can extend with as many as 204 notes. During winter they are silent and do not make calls.They keep their beak shut while calling. A patch of bare skin present on both sides of the throat blow up and collapses with each tuk sound like a rubber bulb and the head keeps moving up and down.

Distribution and Habitat:

Coppersmith Barbet prefers various habitats like gardens where they could find variety of fruits, sparse woodland and groves. This terrestial bird also inhabits trees containing dead wood which would be comfortable for excavation. They use the cavities to built nest and to roost. They are distributed in various countries like India, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Lao People's Democratic Republic. In India they are widely spread in all the states. In South India they are always seen at a maximum of 4000 feet in Palni hills. It is found upto 3000 feet in the valleys of Himalayas. They are rarely found in the very wet forests and dry desert zones.

Mating and Nesting:

They may also use the tree holes as nest. In a single clutch about three to four eggs are laid. The incubation period is approximately 2 weeks. Both males and females involve in incubation. The eggs are glossless white and the parents involve in securing the eggs from predation until they are hatched. Juveniles look duller and don't have red patches. The zygodactyl feet which have two toes forward and two backward helps them in clinging on trees but their tail feathers are not stiffened.

Breeding season for Crimson-breasted Barbet falls between the month of February and April. Irrespective of the breeding season they breed throughout the year with local variations. The courtship involves puffing of the throat, singing, bobbing of the head, ritual feeding, flicking of the tail and allopreening. They are typical cavity nesting birds and hence compete with other cavity nesting species to acquire it. They usually excavate the nest on the underside of a narrow and horizontal branch of dead or soft wood branched trees.

The young have fine feathers and the lower part under the chin is in early development stage.

Parents feed the chick with cherries and other fruits until the parts of them are developed. Four days after fledgling the young try to follow its parent's direction. Chick leaves the nest after 30 to 31 days.

Threats and conservation:

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has categorized Crimson-breasted Barbet as "Least Concern" since this species is found in wide range and is very common throughout its range. Also, the population of the species is increasing day by day. It is under the least concern category for consecutive years and presumed that it will not hit the threshold of being endangered or vulnerable. The threat for this bird is from predators.

The predators like hawk and other cavity nesting species are known to prey on the eggs of the coppersmith barbets leading to the mortality rate. In few areas, the mortality of these birds happens due to poisoning because of pesticide usage. They are also declining in few areas owing to the encroachment and increased pollution levels. Steps are taken by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in order to save this Mumbai's official bird.

Interesting facts about Coppersmith Barbet:

1. Coppersmith Barbet can consume 1.5 to 3 times its body weight at a maximum for a day's meal.
2. They gets their name form the monotonous "tuk-tuk" call which resembles the sound produced by a coppersmith while banging a copper sheet
3. They usually produce the early morning call to indicate the sunrise.