Barbets are small to medium-sized, pleasantly fat birds. They have a large head and bill. In comparison with other birds, barbets have a bulky bill. They feed mostly on figs and fruits but can also take to small insects – beetles, locusts, centipedes and even small lizards.

The Great Barbet is the largest of the Barbets. Among the ones we are going to talk here, the smallest Barbet comes out to be the Coppersmith Barbet.

They are an important agent of seed dispersal of plants and trees.

Their nests are holes in trees where 3-4 eggs are laid. Eggs usually take roughly 2 weeks to hatch.

In this section, we are going to talk about 4 species of Barbets found in India:-

1. Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanicus)

2. Blue-throated Barbet (Megalaima asiaticus)

3. Great Barbet (Megalaima virens)

4. Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)