The Taiwan barbet (''Psilopogon nuchalis''), also known as the embroidered barbet, is a species of bird
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.
Taxonomy
It was formerly considered a
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of the
black-browed barbet (''Psilopogon oorti'') and placed in the genus ''Megalaima''.
Description
It is about long. The
plumage
Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...
is mostly green.
The lore has a red spot. The ear-coverts and lower malar are blue. The throat is mustard yellow.
The forehead is yellow. There is a black stripe above the eye. The
beak
The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for pecking, grasping, and holding (in probing for food, eating, manipulating and ...
is black and thick.
The breast has a blue band and a red band.
The belly is yellowish-green. The feet are greyish. The sexes are alike.
Name
In Taiwan, the bird is known as the "five-colored bird" (), referring to the five colors on its plumage. Because of its colorful plumage and that its call resembles that of a percussion instrument known as a
wooden fish
A wooden fish, also known as a Chinese temple block, wooden bell, or ''muyu'', is a type of Woodblock (instrument), woodblock that originated from China that is used as a percussion instrument by monks and lay people in the Mahayana tradition of B ...
, the species is also referred to as the "colorful monk" (;
Taiwanese Hokkien
Taiwanese Hokkien ( , ), or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taigi ( zh, c=臺語, tl=Tâi-gí), Taiwanese Southern Min ( zh, c=臺灣閩南語, tl=Tâi-uân Bân-lâm-gí), Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively ...
: ) by Taiwanese.
Habitat and ecology
It is commonly found in
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s at elevations of up to .
It feeds on fruits and insects. The breeding season is from March to August.
It nests in tree cavities. It may use an existing cavity or excavate one.
See also
*
List of endemic species of Taiwan
The endemic species of Taiwan are organisms that are Endemic (ecology), endemic to the island of Taiwan – that is, they naturally occur nowhere else on Earth.
Percentages of endemic species and subspecies in selected animal groups in Taiwan:
- ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13414979
Taiwan barbet
Endemic birds of Taiwan
Taiwan barbet
Taiwan barbet