Photo © by Alok Tewari
Sat Tal Forest, Alt. 5500 ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, 14 November 2019
- Garrulax leucolophus
Identification
With 26 - 31cm a rather large Laughingthrush, highly variable.1, 3
Nominate form:
- White hood and triangular crest
- Black mask
- Pale grey nape
- Chestnut upper mantle, lower breast and upper belly
- Blackish-brown tail
patkaicus:
- Slightly darker body than nominate
belangeri:
- Upperparts rufous-chestnut
- White of throat and upper belly extends onto belly and merges with rufous-chestnut flanks
diardi:
- Similar to belangeri but stronger rufous-chestnut above and more extensive white on belly
Distribution
Found in SE Asia from the Himalayas east to Myanmar, adjacent S China and south to Thailand and Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia).1 Introduced in Singapore.4
Common in most of its range.
Taxonomy
Clements2 accepts four subspecies:
- G. l. leucolophus in the W Himalayas from Nepal over Sikkim and Bhutan to Assam
- G. l. patkaicus in Assam, N Myanmar and NW Yunnan (China)
- G. l. belangeri in S Myanmar and SW Thailand (Mekong River valley)
- G. l. diardi from SE Myanmar to SW Yunnan (China), in Thailand and Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)
Sumatran Laughingthrush was formerly included as subspecies in this species.
Habitat
Broadleaf evergreen forest, mixed deciduous forest, secondary forest, bamboo, abandoned cultivation, plantations and gardens. Usually below 1600m.1
Behaviour
Feeds on insects, including beetles and spiders. Takes also berries and fruit, sometimes nectar and small reptiles.
Forages on the ground or in middle storey in groups of 6 - 12 birds, sometimes more. Noisy and greagrious, often in bird-waves and associated with other species, for example Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush.
Breeding season from February to September, co-operative breeder. The nest is placed 2 - 8 m above the ground in a bush, shrub or a low tree. It's a shallow cup made of grasses, bamboo, leaves, twigs and roots. Lays 2 - 6 eggs. Brood parasitism is reported by Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Large Hawk-Cuckoo and Jacobin Cuckoo.
The species is resident.1
Vocalisation
Recording © by Alok Tewari
Sat Tal Forest, Alt. 5500 ft., Uttrakhand Himalayas, India. 19 October 2018.
A small feeding party was moving through the canopy and calling, morning time ( 9.02 am ); call of Himalayan Bulbul is also heard in between.
References
- del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. and Christie, D.A. eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-96553-42-6
- Clements James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- Rasmussen, P.C. and Anderton, J.C. 2005. Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Washington D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Editions. ISBN 84-87334-67-9
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-crested Laughingthrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-crested_Laughingthrush
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
