Birds of India - The New Synopsis

A complete checklist of bird species and subspecies found in India

Piciformes (Woodpeckers and Barbets)

Megalaimidae (Barbets)

• Psilopogon Müller, 1836 Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geschiedenis en Physiologie 2, pt. 3 p.339 Psilopogon pyrolophus S. Müller, 1836; Type by monotypy
  • 552. Malabar Barbet Psilopogon malabaricus (Blyth, 1847) [HB#790]
    Original Description: Bucco malabaricus Blyth, 1847 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 16 p.465 (Malabar)
    Alternative Names: Crimson-throated Barbet (with P. rubricapillus)
    Distribution: W Ghats from about Rangna Fort in Kolhapur (SW Maharashtra) till the southern tip of the W Ghats in Kanyakumari district (Tamil Nadu); east till Nilgiri, Palani, and Varushanad hills and not any further.
    Type Specimen: ZSI#35623 (Holotype).
    Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, YPM, TNHM, LKO
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    Endemic: Western Ghats.
  
  
  • 553. Coppersmith Barbet Psilopogon haemacephalus (Müller, 1776)
    Original Description: Bucco haemacephalus Müller, 1776 Des Ritters Carl von Linné ... vollständigen Natursystems Supplements- und Register-Band über alle sechs Theile oder Classen des Thierreichs p.88
    Alternative Names: Crimson-breasted Barbet, Coppersmith
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 553a. Psilopogon haemacephalus indicus (Latham, 1790) [HB#792]
      Original Description: Bucco indicus Latham, 1790 Index ornithologicus, sive systema ornithologiæ; complectens avium divisionem in classes, ordines, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates: adjectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, &c. 1 p.205 (Kolkota)
      Taxonomy: Includes luteus Lesson 1830 from Pondicherry [=Puducherry] and confusa Koelz 1939 from Londa, NW Karnataka.
      Distribution: Throughout India from Kashmir south till the tip of peninsula and east till E Arunachal and all NE hill states. Absent in trans-Himalaya and driest parts of Thar.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, YPM, TNHM, HYD, FTLB, BNHM
  
  
  • 554. Blue-eared Barbet Psilopogon cyanotis (Blyth, 1847)
    Taxonomy: Previously lumped along with extralimital P. duvaucelii (Lesson, 1830).
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 554a. Psilopogon cyanotis cyanotis (Blyth, 1847) [HB#789]
      Original Description: Bucco cyanotis Blyth, 1847 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 16 p.465
      Taxonomy: Includes rubustirostris Baker 1896 from N Cachar hills.
      Distribution: Sikkim (?), N Bengal, Assam, adjoining Arunachal, and all of NE hill states.
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, YPM, BNHM
  
  
  • 555. Great Barbet Psilopogon virens (Boddaert, 1783)
    Original Description: Bucco virens Boddaert, 1783 Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton p.53
    Alternative Names: Great Hill Barbet, Hill Barbet
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 555a. Psilopogon virens marshallorum (Swinhoe, 1870) [HB#777]
      Original Description: Megalæma Marshallorum Swinhoe, 1870 The Annals and Magazine of Natural History including Zoology, Botany, and Geology (4), 6 p.348 (Himalaya)
      Distribution: Along the Himalaya from Kashmir, Himachal, and Uttarakhand.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, YPM, BNHM
    • 555b. Psilopogon virens magnificus (Baker, 1926) [HB#778]
      Original Description: Megalaima virens magnifica Baker, 1926 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 47 p.43 (Machi, Manipur)
      Distribution: Sikkim, N Bengal, Assam, Arunachal, and all of the NE hill states.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1888.11.30.40 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, YPM
      Notes: Intergradation zone with clamator [syn. mayri] not worked out.
    • 555c. Psilopogon virens clamator (Mayr, 1941) [HB#779]
      Original Description: Megalaima virens clamator Mayr, 1941 Ibis p.489
      Taxonomy: The subspecies mayri Ripley 1948 described from a single specimen from Mishmi hills. The only difference noted in this being the yellow-tipped nape feathers which was also observed in the field for many birds. However, this is a feature present in several photographs from Arunachal – from Dafla hills in W Arunachal to Namdapha in E Arunachal – including the intervening Mishmi hills from where the type of mayri was described. At least one photograph from Chin hills also seems to have yellow nape feathers. Hence, mayri is considered a synonym of this subspecies.
      Distribution: NE Assam and NE Arunachal.
      Specimens: USNM
  
  
  • 556. Lineated Barbet Psilopogon lineatus (Vieillot, 1816)
    Original Description: Capito lineatus Vieillot, 1816 Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc. Nouvelle édition 4 p.500
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 556a. Psilopogon lineatus hodgsoni (Bonaparte, 1850) [HB#783-784]
      Original Description: Megalaema hogdsoni Bonaparte, 1850 Conspectus generum avium 1 p.144
      Taxonomy: Includes rana Ripley 1950 of W Himalaya which is recognised by AR2001. Also includes kutru Mukhurjee 1952 from Chahala, Similipal, Odisha.
      Distribution: Along the sub-Himalayan foothills from E Himachal, Uttarakhand, terai region of N Uttar Pradesh and N Bihar, W Bengal, Chota Nagpur plateau of Jharkhand, and N Odisha; further east into Assam, Arunachal, and all NE hill states.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, YPM, BNHM
  
  
  • 557. Brown-headed Barbet Psilopogon zeylanicus (Gmelin, 1788)
    Alternative Names: Large Green Barbet
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 557a. Psilopogon zeylanicus inornatus (Walden, 1870) [HB#781]
      Original Description: Megalaima inornata Walden, 1870 The Annals and Magazine of Natural History including Zoology, Botany, and Geology (4), 5 p.219 (Malabar, Kodagu, and Khandesh)
      Distribution: W India south of about Mumbai till about C Karnataka; SE and CE Ghats of Telangana, S Andhra, S Karnataka, and N Tamil Nadu. Also, eastern slopes of SW Ghats till about Palakkad gap.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1888.11.25.247 (Syntype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, AMNH, FMNH, YPM, HYD
    • 557b. Psilopogon zeylanicus caniceps (Franklin, 1831) [HB#780]
      Original Description: Bucco caniceps Franklin, 1831 Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London Part 1 no.10 p.121 (On the Ganga river between Kolkata and Varanasi, and in the Vindhyan hills between Varanasi and Garha Mandla [=Gurrah Mundela] on the Narmada river)
      Taxonomy: Includes kangrae Whistler & Kinnear 1934 from Ranital, Kangra, Himachal. Intergradation zone with inornatus fixed arbitrarily as the Godavari river; and the nominate subspecies arbitrarily at Palakkad gap.
      Distribution: Northern subcontinent from Jammu south through Indo-Gangetic plains till W Bengal, E Rajasthan, E Gujarat till about Mumbai, C India, NE Ghats of Odisha, and NE Andhra.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, YPM
    • 557c. Psilopogon zeylanicus zeylanicus (Gmelin, 1788) [HB#782]
      Original Description: Bucco Zeylanicus Gmelin, 1788 Systema Naturae. Editio decima tertia, aucta, reformata. Cura Jo. Frid. Gmelin (etc.). Tomus I [pars I] 13, vol. 1, part 1, p.408
      Distribution: Eastern slopes of SW Ghats south of Palakkad gap and adjoining SE Ghats in Tamil Nadu till the southern tip of the Ghats in Kanyakumari distict.
      Specimens: NHMUK, FMNH, YPM, TNHM
  
  
  • 558. White-cheeked Barbet Psilopogon viridis (Boddaert, 1783) [HB#785]
    Original Description: Bucco viridis Boddaert, 1783 Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton p.53 (Mahe, India)
    Alternative Names: Small Green Barbet
    Distribution: SW India including coasts and W Ghats, all hills of SE Ghats till about Horsley hills, eastern slopes of W Ghats in Karnataka and north till Toranmal (NW Maharashtra) in Satpura ranges.
    Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, YPM, TNHM, MYS, LKO, FTLB
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    Endemic: Endemic to India.
  
  
  • 559. Golden-throated Barbet Psilopogon franklinii (Blyth, 1842)
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 559a. Psilopogon franklinii franklinii (Blyth, 1842) [HB#787]
      Original Description: Bucco Franklinii Blyth, 1842 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 11 p.167 (Darjeeling)
      Taxonomy: Type specimen was once reported as lost (Sclater 1892, Ibis 34 (1): 73) but apparently, a syntype is still there in ZSI (Shaktivel et al. 2011, Catalogue of type specimens (Aves) of National Zoological Collections of the Zoological Survey of India p. 13).
      Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal, adjoining Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Cachar, Manipur, and Mizoram.
      Type Specimen: ZSI#35621 (Syntype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, YPM, TNHM, BNHM
  
  
  • 560. Blue-throated Barbet Psilopogon asiaticus (Latham, 1790)
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 560a. Psilopogon asiaticus asiaticus (Latham, 1790) [HB#788]
      Original Description: Trogon asiaticus Latham, 1790 Index ornithologicus, sive systema ornithologiæ; complectens avium divisionem in classes, ordines, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates: adjectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, &c. 1 p.201 (Kolkata)
      Taxonomy: Includes rubescens Baker 1896 from the 'Highest ranges in the east of the Cachar hills'.
      Distribution: Throughout the Himalayan foothills from Kashmir east through Himachal, Uttarakhand, northern parts of Uttar Pradesh, N and E Bihar, W Bengal, SE Jharkhand, N Odisha, Sikkim, and entire NE India.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, YPM, TNHM, BNHM