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Flame-fronted Barbet Psilopogon armillaris Scientific name definitions

Lester L. Short and Jennifer F. M. Horne
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated September 27, 2017

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Field Identification

20–21·5 cm; 63–74 g. Smallish, heavily set green barbet with stout bill, and extensive yellow to orange forehead. Both sexes of nominate race have yellowish-orange from forehead and forecrown, blue mid-crown to nape, black line through eye, black at front of malar; gold to orange mark on each side of lower neck, and golden-orange across upper breast . Immature duller, areas of yellow-orange and blue paler, smaller. Race <em>baliensis</em> slightly larger, with forehead slightly more red-orange or brown-orange, and a similar tendency on sides of neck and breast.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Closely related to P. henricii and P. pulcherrimus, and the three sometimes thought to be conspecific or to form a species-group; all were previously thought possibly related also to group including P. incognitus, P. asiaticus and P. oorti. Races not well differentiated; E Javan birds intermediate in size between those of W Java and those of Bali. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies


SUBSPECIES

Psilopogon armillaris armillaris Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W and C Java.

SUBSPECIES

Psilopogon armillaris baliensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

E Java and Bali.

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Primary lowland and hill forest, edges, fruiting trees in nearby gardens and plantations; found at all levels up to c. 2500 m, commonest above 600 m.

Movement

Resident and sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Fruits , including coffee fruits, also some insects; spiders also recorded. In captivity, nestlings eat mealworms, crickets and young mice.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song a series of short trills, “t-t-t-rrrt”, repeated endlessly; also single buzzy “tirrr” note.

Breeding

Feb–Jul, also Sept–Jan; possibly double-brooded. Courtship feeding occurs. Nest excavated high in tree; in captivity, both adults excavate cavity to 35 cm deep, completed in 1 month. Eggs 2; in captivity, incubation by both parents, period 13–15 days, female aggressive to male after hatching, young fed by both parents, 1 tapping on outside results in other leaving; hand-reared young open eyes at c. 14 days, feathers emerge at 17 days, first flight at c. 37 days. Captive pair produced 3 clutches each of 2 eggs, hand-rearing resulting in 3 healthy immatures.

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Java and Bali Forests EBA. Generally not uncommon, and is the commonest barbet in Java and Bali. Appears somewhat adaptable. Information required on species’ ecology and biology in the wild. Present in Gunung Gede-Pangrano National Park and, apparently rare, in Aas Purwo National Park (Java).

Distribution of the Flame-fronted Barbet - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Flame-fronted Barbet

Recommended Citation

Short, L. L. and J. F. M. Horne (2020). Flame-fronted Barbet (Psilopogon armillaris), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.flfbar1.01
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