Psilopogon virens
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 ~90% in a week >90%
The great barbet (Psilopogon virens) is an Asian barbet native to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia, where it inhabits forests up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) altitude. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004 because of its wide distribution.
Bucco virens was the scientific name proposed by Pieter Boddaert in 1783 for a great barbet that had been described by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1781 based on a specimen collected in China. It was illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet.
It was placed in the genus Megalaima proposed by George Robert Gray in 1842 who suggested to use this name instead of Bucco. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the following great barbet zoological specimens were described:
Megalaema marshallorum proposed by Robert Swinhoe in 1870 was based on a great barbet from the Himalayas. Megalaima virens magnifica proposed by E. C. Stuart Baker in 1926 was a male barbet from Machi, Manipur. Megalaima virens clamator proposed by Ernst Mayr in 1941 was a bird collected in northern Myanmar.
Molecular phylogenetic research of barbets revealed that the birds in the genus Megalaima... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 2 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Great Barbet sighting in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, based on 759 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 388 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.
April and May
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Great Barbet in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January, the lowest month. August and September have too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great 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.
Yes
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Great Barbet sightings, Royal Manas National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Namdapha National Park (India, about 40%) and Doi Inthanon National Park (Thailand, about 20%).
Same genus: Psilopogon
The closest relatives of the Great Barbet that you can see in Royal Manas National Park (genus Psilopogon, Typical Asian Barbets) are Blue-throated Barbet (about 70%), Golden-throated Barbet (about 20%) and Lineated Barbet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Barbet is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Manas National Park (759 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.
