It inhabits lowland and montane forests at elevations of 200–2,000 m (660–6,560 ft), frequenting fruiting trees.

[1] Due to its green colour, it is difficult to spot but is easily located by its continual loud calls.

The stout, conical bill is pale at the base with a dark upper mandible and tip.

[3] The blue-throated barbet is a resident breeder in the Lower Himalayas from northeastern Pakistan through northeast India, and in the hill ranges of Southeast Asia.

It is a common inhabitant of lowland and foothill tropical, evergreen and deciduous forests, typically between 200–2,000 m (660–6,560 ft).

It is adaptable to secondary forests and even urban areas provided fruiting trees are readily available.

Due to its green colour it blends into the canopy so the loud, frequent calls are often the only indication of its presence.

The calls consisting of the notes took-a-rook, pu-ku-ruk, kut-ru-uk are repeated 90-105 times per minute.

[5][3] The blue-throated barbet is not threatened, it is placed by BirdLife International in the Least Concern (LC) IUCN category.

In Mizoram in northeast India, the species is uncommon in oil plantations, presumably due to the lack of fruit-bearing trees.