Malabar barbet of alates), ants and small caterpillars. In Kerala, the fruiting trees were limited mainly to "Ficus" species, especially "Ficus retusa", "Ficus gibbosa" and "Ficus tsiela". When feeding on small fruits, they tend to perch and peck rather than to swallow the fruit whole. In the non-breeding season, they join mixed-species foraging flocks. Malabar barbet The Malabar barbet ("Psilopogon malabaricus") is a small barbet found in the Western Ghats of India. It was formerly treated as a race of the crimson-fronted barbet ("Psilopogon rubricapillus"). It overlaps in some places with the range of the coppersmith barbet ("Psilopogon haemacephala") and has a
Malabar grey hornbill found mainly on the adjoining plains, is easily told apart by its prominent casque, and in flight by the white trailing edge of the entire wing. The Malabar grey hornbill has a grey back and a cinnamon vent. The long tail is blackish with a white tip, and the underparts are grey with white streaks. The long curved bill has no casque. Immature birds have browner upperparts and a yellow bill. Young birds have a dull white or yellow iris. Their loud calls are distinctive and include "hysterical cackling", "laughing" and "screeching" calls. The Malabar grey hornbill is a common