Conservation and Management

Not globally threatened; evaluated as Least Concern by BirdLife International using IUCN Red List Criteria. A common bird throughout its range, including in Pakistan, where the range may be expanding (26 Roberts, T. (1974). Interesting distributional records for Pakistan. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 70(3):552-554. Close , 52 Roberts, T. J. (1996). Twentieth century changes in the avifauna of Pakistan. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 93(3):374-381. Close ), Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). In India, it is one of the commonest birds in Northeast India, being found in almost all habitats at the appropriate altitude. Its vocalizations are a consistent profile of the acoustic chorus throughout this part of the country (AK). It is also common across southeast Asia, and is the commonest barbet within its southcentral Chinese range (1 Short, L. L., and J. F. M. Horne (2001) Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Habitat Loss and Degradation

In Mizoram, northeast India, this species tends to occur only infrequently in oil plantations and then only where scattered trees are present at the edge of the plantation (31 Mandal, J., and T. R. Shankar Raman (2016). Shifting agriculture supports more tropical forest birds than oil palm or teak plantations in Mizoram, northeast India. The Condor 118:345-359. Close ). It may thus be dependent on the presence of suitable fruit trees or gardens in monocultures outside of forested habitat. As far as its preferences for forest types goes, however, it tends to occur in all successional strata of forest, although it is commonest in late successional or primary forests (32 Raman, T. R., G. S. Rawat, and A. J. Johnsingh (1998). Recovery of tropical rainforest avifauna in relation to vegetation succession following shifting cultivation in Mizoram, north‐east India. Journal of Applied Ecology 35:214-231. Close ); however, another study found increased visitation rates on Ficus drupacea in logged forest (33 Velho, N, J. Ratnam, U. Srinivasan, and M. Sankaran (2012). Shifts in community structure of tropical trees and avian frugivores in forests recovering from past logging. Biological Conservation 153:32–40. Close ). In other places, it adapts well to villages and towns wherever gardens and suitable habitat remain (AK). The overall picture is of a species reasonably adaptable to human presence, which is nonetheless most common where trees, and especially fruiting trees, with suitable nesting sites remain.

Conservation Areas

Present in numerous national parks and protected areas across its range, e.g. Corbett, Kedarnath, Kaziranga, Dehing-Patkai, Manas, Mehao, Keibul Lamjao, Nongkhyllem, Eaglenest, and Nameri (India) (AK), Chitwan (Nepal), and Doi Pha Hom Pok, Phu Suan Sai, Nam Nao, and Kaeng Krachan (Thailand).

Conservation Measures and Habitat Management

Information needed.