Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush
Pterorhinus mitratus
Slaty gray laughingthrush with a rusty-red crown and bright white arcs around the eyes. Also note orangish vent and bright white wing panel. A species of foothill and montane forest and forest edge. Often a component of mixed flocks, within which it typically moves in the lower and middle levels of forest. Gives a repetitive whooping “nyehnyehnyehnyeh” as flocks move through the forest; also gives various churring and cackling calls.
Identification
The chestnut-capped laughingthrush (Pterorhinus mitratus), also known as the spectacled laughingthrush, is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Sumatra (Indonesia) and the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush was previously considered a subspecies. The chestnut-capped laughingthrush was formerly placed in the genus Garrulax but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Pterorhinus.
Taxonomy
Genus: Pterorhinus; Family: Leiothrichidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Pterorhinus mitratus
- Authority
- (Müller, S, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Leiothrichidae
- Genus
- Pterorhinus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ribbon-tailed Astrapia
Astrapia mayeri
A long-tailed bird of upper montane forest. The male has an iridescent green head and bib with a black chest band bordered with a thin gold stripe. Note the outlandishly long, white tail streamers. Female is blackish with barring on the belly and some iridescence on the head. Mainly eats fruit. Similar to Stephanie’s Astrapia, but Ribbon-tailed usually occurs at higher elevations. The female Ribbon-tailed has iridescence on the head and the male’s tail is white rather than black. Voice, excited, pulsing rasps.
Indian Blackbird
Turdus simillimus
Dark thrush with a bright orange bill. Male is slightly darker than the female. Plumage varies slightly throughout range, Sri Lanka birds being midnight-black and central Indian “Black-capped” birds being brown with a black head and wings. Note the small teardrop-shaped patch of bare orange skin around the eye. Beautiful fluting song often heard from foothill forests, forest edge, and orchards; winters at lower altitudes, often in closer proximity to people, though typically not in outright urban areas like Chinese and Eurasian Blackbirds.
Gabon Boubou
Laniarius bicolor
Chunky black-and-white bushshrike. There is a white slash across the wing, and the underparts are pure white. Uses habitats that include marsh, gallery forest and woodland, thick scrub, and mangroves. Found in pairs, which usually skulk, but sometimes hop about in the open. Song is a perfectly synchronized duet in which the male gives a hollow rising whistle and the female a low ratchet. Similar to Tropical Boubou, but easily separated by lack of rufous tones to the underparts and different vocalizations.
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