Black Laughingthrush - BirdForum Opus

nominate subspecies
Photo © by the late Dr Manjeet Singh
Frasers Hill, Malaysia

Melanocichla lugubris

Garrulax lugubris

Identification

25.5 - 27cm. A medium-sized laughingthrush:

• Glossy blackish to blackish-grey plumage
• Bluish-slate to violet orbital skin
• Bluish-white postocular skin
• Orange-red bill

Sexes similar. Juveniles are browner and duller.

Distribution

Found in extreme south Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.
Restricted-range species, uncommon in parts of its range, common in others.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.
It was formerly considered conspecific with Bare-headed Laughingthrush.

Habitat

Broadleaf evergreen forest, forest edge and secondary growth. Found above 800m in Malaysia and at 500 - 1600m in Sumatra.

Behaviour

Feeds on insects, spiders and sometimes seeds.
Moves around in small noisy groups. Keeps mostly to thick cover, does not engage in long laborious flight, preferring to glide from place to place.
Breeding season October to April. The nest is a bulky cup made of vegetable fibres and leaves. It's placed about 2.5m above the ground in a tree fork. Lays 2 eggs.
Resident species.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black Laughingthrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Laughingthrush

External Links

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