Coppersmith Barbet

The coppersmith barbet is a small barbet, 15–17cm long and 30–52.6g, green with a crimson forehead and throat patch, yellow cheeks and grey-and-black streaked underparts. In the nesting season, feather wear can make the upper back look bluish. It is best known for its metronomic call, which sounds like a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives in gardens, groves and sparse woodland, where dead wood for nest holes is important, and carves out its own nest hole in a tree. It is mainly a fruit-eater but also takes insects, especially winged termites. It lives alone or in small groups, gathering at fruiting fig trees, and likes to sun itself on bare top branches in the morning. Its flight is straight with rapid wingbeats, and it competes with other hole-nesting birds for sites (Wikipedia, general species account).