Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons) is an Asian barbet which is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a world-wide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as Mukalang Kottoruwa or Ranmunath-Kottoruwa or Rath Nalal Kottoruwa in Sinhala Language. Yellow-fronted Barbet appears in a 5 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp.
Identification
This is a medium-sized barbet at 21 cm. It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head and short tail. The adult Yellow-fronted Barbet has a mainly green body and wing plumage, with a scaly appearance to the breast. It has a blue face and throat, and a yellow crown and moustachial stripes. The call is a rolling kow-kow-kow-kow.
Behaviour
Throughout its range it is a common bird, not shy, and well known for its resounding calls, which form a pleasant feature of its haunts. The Yellow-fronted Barbet feeds on numerous kinds of berries, wild figs, and cultivated fruits such as guavas and pawpaws-being rather a pest in orchards. It feeds its young mainly on fruit, but also on some animal food as W.W.A. Philips has published a photograph of one at its nest-hole with a gecko in its beak. The breeding season is from February to May, with a secondary season in August-September, but an occasional nest may be found at other times of the year. The nest-hole is very similar to that of the Brown-headed Barbet but slightly smaller- about two inches in diameter. The cavity inside is oval and, if a new one, is about eight inches deep; but sometimes the birds use a nest for several years running, digging it deeper each year until it may be two feet or more deep. The height from the ground varies greatly, but is usually from six to ten feet. The two or three white, and smooth but not glossy, eggs measure about 28 x 21 mm.
Locations
Forests, home gardens. Breeding Grounds- Mainly lower Hill country & Wet Zone but less common in Dry Zone. Very common.
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