Barbets are a group of near passerine birds with a world-wide tropical distribution.

The moustached barbet is a resident breeder in the hills of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

It is a species of broadleaf evergreen forest from 600 to 700 m. It nests in a tree hole.

The adult of the form, P. i. elbeli, which occurs in northern Thailand has a red forehead, green crown with a red spot at the rear, a blue face and throat, and black eyestripe and moustache.

The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has a duller, greener head and throat with a narrower moustache..