White-crested laughingthrush

Garrulax leucolophus

Common name:

white-crested laughingthrush (en); zaragateiro-de-crista-branca (pt); garrulaxe à huppe blanche (fr); tordo jocoso garrulado (es); weißhaubenhäherling (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Timaliidae

Range:

This Asian species is found from the foothill of the Himalayas, In north-east india, Nepal and Bhutan, to Myanmar, adjacent southern China and south to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It was introduced in Singapore.

Size:

They are 28-31 cm long and weigh 120 g.

Habitat:

The white-crested laughingthrush is found in broadleaf evergreen forests, mixed deciduous forests, secondary forests, bamboos, abandoned cultivations, plantations and gardens. They are present at altitudes of 200-2.400 m.

Diet:

These birds feed on the ground or in middle storey in groups of 6-12 birds, mostly taking beetles and spiders. They also eat berries and fruit, sometimes nectar and small reptiles.

Breeding:

White-crested laughingthrushes breed in February-September. The nest is a shallow cup made of grasses, bamboo, leaves, twigs and roots, placed 2-8 m above the ground in a scrub or low tree. There the female lays 3-6 white eggs which are incubated for 12-17 days. There is cooperative breeding in this species and the chicks are fed by both the parents and several helpers, fledging 14-16 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species is described as common over its large breeding range. There is no evidence for any declines or substantial threats, so it is not considered threatened at present.