Giant laughingthrush

Garrulax maximus

Photo by Philip He (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
giant laughingthrush (en); zaragateiro-gigante (pt); garrulaxe géant (fr); charlatán gigante (es); riesenhäherling (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae


Range:
This species is found in south-western China and in northern India.


Size:
These birds are 32-36 cm long.


Habitat:
The giant laughingthrush is found in open broadleaf and mixed broadleaf-coniferous forests and bamboo scrublands in broadleaf evergreen forests, up to an altitude of 4.100 m.


Diet:
They mostly eat insects, but may also eat fruits and seeds.


Breeding:
Giant laughingthrushes breed in April-July. The nest is a shallow bowl, made of twigs and lined with bamboo strands and stems of various other plants. There the female lays 1-3 blue eggs which are incubated by both parents for around 2 weeks. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 17-18 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is described as locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation.