Psilopogon duvaucelii
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
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-eared barbet (Psilopogon duvaucelii) is a barbet in the family Megalaimidae native to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. It inhabits shrubland and forest up to an altitude of 1,200 m (3,900 ft). Because of its large range it is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
The black-eared barbet has olive-green plumage, a blue throat and nape, a black beak and a large black streak between the eyes. Below the eyes it has red spots encircled by black. It is 16–17 cm (6.3–6.7 in) long and weighs 26.3–37 g (0.93–1.31 oz).
Bucco duvaucelii was the scientific name proposed by René Lesson in 1830 who described a barbet from Sumatra. The generic name Psilopogon was proposed by Salomon Müller in 1836, initially for a fire-tufted barbet (P. pyrolophus) from Sumatra.
In subsequent decades, about 19 generic names were proposed for barbet species, including Megalaima by John Edward Gray in 1849 and Mezobucco by George Ernest Shelley in 1889. Taxonomists used different generic names when describing barbets in collections of natural history museums.
Mezzobucco duvaucelii gigantorhinus was proposed by Harry C. Oberholser in 1912 for an adult male... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 11 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 12 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 13 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 16 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 18 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 19 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 20 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Kuching | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Guwahati | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-eared Barbet sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 101st most-seen of the 247 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, July, September–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-eared Barbet in Kinabalu Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–June, August and November, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-eared Barbet sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
19th of 20
Of the 20 parks where we can rate Black-eared Barbet sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 19th at under 5%. The best odds are in Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 50%), Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 50%) and Khao Sok National Park (Thailand, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Psilopogon
The closest relatives of the Black-eared Barbet that you can see in Kinabalu Park (genus Psilopogon, Typical Asian Barbets) are Golden-naped Barbet (about 60%), Mountain Barbet (about 10%) and Gold-whiskered Barbet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-eared Barbet is recorded against all the birds logged in Kinabalu Park (97 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
