The Asian barbets are a family of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

species, the Megalaimidae, comprising two genera with 35 species native to the forests of the Indomalayan realm from

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. 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 The African barbets are birds in the family Lybiidae. There are 43 species ranging from the type genus ''Lybius'' of forest interior to the tinkerbirds (''Pogoniulus'') of forest and scrubland. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with ...

and

Ramphastidae Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...

, as sister groups. In the past the species were placed in three genera, ''Caloramphus'', ''Megalaima'' and ''Psilopogon'', but studies show that ''Psilopogon'' to be 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 Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. All living beings are in fact descendants of a unique ancestor commonly referred to as the last universal comm ...

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 ' (, ‘large, great’) and ' (, ‘throat’).

Classification

Subfamily Megalaiminae * Genus ''

Psilopogon ''Psilopogon'' is a genus of Old World barbets that used to include only a single species, the fire-tufted barbet (''P. pyrolophus''). Results of molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that the genus is nested within an evolutionary branch cons ...

'' ** ''Psilopogon annamensis'', Indochinese barbet ** ''Psilopogon armillaris'', Flame-fronted barbet ** ''Psilopogon asiaticus'', Blue-throated barbet ** ''Psilopogon auricularis'', Necklaced barbet ** ''Psilopogon australis'', Yellow-eared barbet ** ''Psilopogon chersonesus'', Turquoise-throated barbet ** ''Psilopogon chrysopogon'', Golden-whiskered barbet ** ''Psilopogon corvinus'', Brown-throated barbet ** ''Psilopogon cyanotis'', Blue-eared barbet ** ''Psilopogon duvaucelii'', Black-eared barbet ** ''Psilopogon eximius'', Bornean barbet ** ''Psilopogon faber'', Chinese barbet ** ''Psilopogon faiostrictus'', Green-eared barbet ** ''Psilopogon flavifrons'', Yellow-fronted barbet ** ''Psilopogon franklinii'', Golden-throated barbet ** ''Psilopogon haemacephalus'', Coppersmith barbet ** ''Psilopogon henricii'', Yellow-crowned barbet ** ''Psilopogon incognitus'',

Moustached barbet The moustached barbet (''Psilopogon incognitus'') is an Asian barbet. Barbets are a group of near passerine birds with a world-wide tropical distribution. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. The moustached bar ...

** ''Psilopogon javensis'',

Black-banded barbet The black-banded barbet (''Psilopogon javensis'') is a bird species in the Megalaimidae family. It is endemic to Java and Bali. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane for ...

** ''Psilopogon lagrandieri'', Red-vented barbet ** ''Psilopogon lineatus'',

Lineated barbet The lineated barbet (''Psilopogon lineatus'') is an Asian barbet native to the Terai, the Brahmaputra basin to Southeast Asia. It is a frugivore A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of pla ...

** ''Psilopogon malabaricus'', Malabar barbet ** ''Psilopogon monticola'', Mountain barbet ** ''Psilopogon mystacophanos'', Red-throated barbet ** ''Psilopogon nuchalis'', Taiwan barbet ** ''Psilopogon oorti'',

Black-browed barbet The black-browed barbet (''Psilopogon oorti'') is an Asian barbet native to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, where it inhabits foremost forests between altitude. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution ...

** ''Psilopogon pulcherrima'', Golden-naped barbet ** ''Psilopogon pyrolophus'',

Fire-tufted barbet The fire-tufted barbet (''Psilopogon pyrolophus'') is a species of bird in the Asian barbet family Megalaimidae. It is native to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, where it inhabits tropical moist lowland and montane forests. It has been listed a ...

** ''Psilopogon rafflesii'',

Red-crowned barbet The red-crowned barbet (''Psilopogon rafflesii'') is a species of bird in the family Megalaimidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest ...

** ''Psilopogon rubricapillus'', Crimson-fronted barbet ** ''Psilopogon virens'',

Great barbet The great barbet (''Psilopogon virens'') is an Asian barbet native to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia, where it inhabits foremost forests up to altitude. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004 because o ...

** ''Psilopogon viridis'',

White-cheeked barbet The white-cheeked barbet or small green barbet (''Psilopogon viridis'') is a species of Asian barbet found in southern India. It is very similar to the more widespread brown-headed barbet (or large green barbet, ''Psilopogon zeylanicus''), but ...

** ''Psilopogon zeylanicus'',

Brown-headed barbet The Brown-headed barbet (''Psilopogon zeylanicus'') is an Asian barbet species native to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. It is widespread, with its range stretching from the Terai in so ...

Subfamily Caloramphinae * Genus '' Caloramphus'' ** ''Caloramphus fuliginosus'', Brown barbet ** ''Caloramphus hayii'', Sooty barbet

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q935463 Extant Pleistocene first appearances Bird families Taxa named by Edward Blyth