Photo © by Alok Tewari
Forest-edge, Dist. Almora, Alt. 6500 ft., Uttrakhand Himalayas, India, 16 October 2018
- Grammatoptila striata
Garrulax striatus
Identification
29.5cm - 34cm. A large and bulky laughingthrush.
- Dark brown plumage, almost entirely streaked with white
- Unstreaked rounded floppy chestnut crest
- Stout blackish bill
Juveniles are more rufescent above and less distinctly streaked on flanks.
The streaking varies among the subspecies.
Distribution
Found in the Himalayas from Himachal Pradesh (northwest India) east over Nepal, Bhutan, northeast India to north Burma and adjacent south China and Tibet.
Locally common to abundant.
Taxonomy
Placed in the genus Garrulax by Gill and Donsker.
Subspecies
Four or five subspecies recognized:
- G. s. striata in northwest India
- G. s. vibex in west and central Nepal
- G. s. sikkimensis from est Nepal to Bhutan
- G. s. brahmaputra from Bhutan to northern Burma and adjacent Tibet
- G. s. cranbrooki in north Burma and adjacent Yunnan (China)
Clements merges brahmaputra in cranbrooki.
Habitat
Broadleaf evergreen forest, secondary forest, scrub, thickets, bamboo and wooded patches around settlements. Fount at 600 - 3060m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects, berries and seeds.
Forages mainly in middle storey of forest and much more arboreal than other laughingthrushes. Usually seen singly, in pairs or small groups of 5 to 8 birds, often together with other laughingthrushes.
Breeding
Breeding season from April to August. The nest is a shallow, broad cup made of coarse grasses, twigs, creeper stems, rootlets, dead leaves and moss. It's placed 1 to 6m high in sapling, branches of a larger tree or among climbing plants. Lays 2 - 3 eggs.
Movements
Resident species, maybe with some altitudinal movements.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Photo © by ColD
Corbett National Park, India
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
- Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Striated Laughingthrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Striated_Laughingthrush
