Barbets (Capitonidae)

Crimson-throated Barbet (Megalaima rubricapillus) - HBW 7, p. 209

French: Barbu à couronne rouge German: Malabarschmied Spanish: Barbudo Capirrojo
Other common names: Small Barbet; Ceylon Small/Sri Lanka Small/Crimson-fronted Barbet (rubricapillus)

Taxonomy: Bucco rubricapillus J. F. Gmelin, 1788, Sri Lanka.
Closely related to M. haemacephala, with which forms the so-called “Xantholaema group”. Race malabarica well marked, sometimes treated as a distinct species; vocalizations, however, very similar to those of nominate. Species name formed from Latin adjectival stem and Latin noun, and must be treated as a noun in apposition, so is therefore indeclinable; modification to “rubricapilla” is thus unjustified. Two subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution: