Yellow-eared Barbet (Psilopogon australis) [XC409128]
by David Gibbs from Carita, West Java, Indonesia (song)
Yellow-eared Barbet (Psilopogon australis) [XC336539]
by Frank Lambert from Alas Purwo National Park, Indonesia (song)
Subspecies
Closely related to Bornean Barbet (Psilopogon eximius), these together comprising the so-called "Mesobucco group". Subspecies and "population groups" connected by intermediates. Some authors suggest subspecies orientalis possibly better lumped within cyanotis. Birds from southern Myanmar and south-western and peninsular Thailand often treated as subspecies stuarti, but apparently no more than intermediate form between cyanotis and duvaucelii.
Other described forms include hebereri from Bali, considered synonymous with nominate; borneonensis from Borneo and robinsoni from southern Peninsular Malaysia, synonymized with duvaucelii; and invisa from north-western Thailand, synonymized with cyanotis. Form described from Assam as "robustirostris" long considered a separate species, but apparently matched by specimen from Laos, and these probably represent immature birds of Blue-eared Barbet (Psilopogon australis).
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
cyanotis (Blyth, 1847) - South-eastern Nepal east to eastern Bangladesh and north-eastern India, southern China (Yunnan), Myanmar (except northern and east) and north-western Thailand south to northern Malay Peninsula. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Blue-eared Barbet (Psilopogon cyanotis).
orientalis (Robinson, 1915) - Eastern Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Black-eared Barbet (Psilopogon duvaucelii).
duvaucelii (Lesson, 1830) - Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Bangka and Borneo. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Black-eared Barbet (Psilopogon duvaucelii).
gigantorhina (Oberholser, 1912) - Nias I, off western Sumatra.
tanamassae (Meyer de Schauensee, 1929) - Batu Is, off western Sumatra. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Black-eared Barbet (Psilopogon duvaucelii).