Kutrooo… Kutrooo…

Dawn, in a tropical forest, light wooded tree groves in farming locales and even our urban gardens with avenue trees, is really a sight to see. This sight, however beautiful and mystical, is incomplete without the high resonating familiar Kutrooo… Kutrooo… Kutrooo.. call of the Green Bird, about the size of a Myna — the ‘White-Cheeked Barbet – Megalaima viridis’ of the Megalaimidae family of birds    as it is called in Ornithology.

There are in all 11 species in this family inhabiting the country, the largest and most colourful of them The Great Barbet and the smallest of them all The Copper-smith Barbet. This Green Bird, with a brownish head and white cheeks, is often heard than sighted. It has a high-pitched, resonating call, which is very familiar to many early morning joggers and walkers. The repeated call of these birds are perhaps the most highly recorded of all bird calls, in any movie or slide show, whether in a setting of urban garden or a wild life picturing in the Rain Forests. the call recording of these birds are indispensable. The visuals are incomplete  without the call suggesting a break of dawn. The forest feel is through these birds’ call.

Comfortable, both in heavy wooded forests and also our urban home gardens, the White-cheeked Barbet, thrives well on the fig fruits and insects. It loves many orchard fruits too, but never considered a pest. It has a special liking for the Sapota fruit and Guavas also attract them. In fact these birds are very bold, though wary of humans, and accept any fruit placed in the garden or stuck to small tree in the gardens. Water is a dire necessity for these birds and a good earthen bird-bath is sure to attract them for a drink and bath. However, they prefer the water source hung from a low branch to a ground level one. Once familiar with the water source, these birds can be sighted arriving at a regular time of the day. Once at dawn, again at around 11:00 before noon and finally in the early evening before dark. It’s a delight to offer them water and watch them at it.

The Barbets nest in tree cavities, either natural or dug-up by the nesting birds themselves. They nest regularly in the same nest hole, renovating the nest every season.

The courtship of bachelor birds is really a wonder in the Birds Kingdom. When a young male sets his eyes and mind on a female, whom he thinks is the Most Beautiful Lady Barbet in the world, approaches her with a fig berry (Aladha hannu – Ficus benghalensis) and perches close to her and offers it to her. The young Lady Barbet, if she finds his proposal worthy, if she finds him trustworthy, if she finds him capable enough to father and bring up her children, all thoughts decided by her intuitions, will hop closer to him and accept the berry from his beak. This small gesture bonds them for life.

A marriage solemnised by nature and both go about setting up home, in a pre-selected tree cavity or a partially excavated nest hole by the male. Then both work towards completing the home.

In a few days time, the family starts with a clutch of 3-4 white oval small eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs for 15-17 days. The female incubates all through the night and the male for long hours in the day.

Once the chicks are born, both parents share all the offspring raising chores, until the young are fledged and go on their own to lead their independent life.

May the Kutrooo… Kutrooo… call of the Barbet resonate in the trees and also in the filmed cinemas forever.

The Barbets, though placed under the Least Concern in the IUCN Red List, let us show All Concern for the well-being of these beautiful birds.

[Pic. by SOM photographer M.N. Lakshminarayana Yadav]