Taiwan Barbet

Taiwan Barbet

Psilopogon nuchalis

Silhouette: Vijay Cavale (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
at Kaohsiung

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

3,202 Verified sightings at Kaohsiung
890 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Taiwan Barbet

The Taiwan barbet (Psilopogon nuchalis), also known as the embroidered barbet, is a species of bird endemic to Taiwan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the black-browed barbet (Psilopogon oorti) and placed in the genus Megalaima.

It is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long. The plumage is mostly green. The lore has a red spot. The ear-coverts and lower malar are blue. The throat is mustard yellow. The forehead is yellow. There is a black stripe above the eye. The beak is black and thick. The breast has a blue band and a red band. The belly is yellowish-green. The feet are greyish. The sexes are alike.

In Taiwan, the bird is known as the "five-colored bird" (Chinese: 五色鳥; pinyin: Wǔsèniǎo), referring to the five colors on its plumage. Because of its colorful plumage and that its call resembles that of a percussion instrument known as a wooden fish, the species is also referred to as the "colorful monk" (Chinese: 花和尚; pinyin: Huā Héshàng; Taiwanese Hokkien: hue-á huê-siūnn) by Taiwanese.

It is commonly found in forests at elevations of up to 2,800 m (9,200 ft). It feeds on fruits and insects. The breeding season is from... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:14

Taiwan · 2021

© Jerome Chie-Jen Ko · XC662660 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:15

Taiwan · 2021

© Sunny Tseng · XC629838 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:09

Taiwan · 2018

© Blackie_Wen · XC472150 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~40%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kaohsiung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~60%
2 Taipei 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~50%
3 Taichung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~30%
4 Tainan 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Green World Ecological Farm 🇹🇼 Taiwan In captivity
2 新光動物園 🇹🇼 Taiwan In captivity
3 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
4 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
5 Ocean Fantasy Museum 🇹🇼 Taiwan In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Taiwan Barbet in Kaohsiung?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Taiwan Barbet sighting in Kaohsiung on a given day, based on 3,202 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 214 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Taiwan Barbet in Kaohsiung?

March and June–July

In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Taiwan Barbet in Kaohsiung on a given day, against about 40% in September to November, the lowest months. Those are among Kaohsiung's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Taiwan Barbet?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Taiwan Barbet sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Kaohsiung the best place to see a Taiwan Barbet?

Yes

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Taiwan Barbet sightings, Kaohsiung has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Taipei (Taiwan, about 50%) and Taichung (Taiwan, about 30%).

Where does the Taiwan Barbet sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Taiwan Barbet is recorded against all the birds logged in Kaohsiung (3,202 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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