Blue-crowned Laughingthrush Pterorhinus courtoisi

Stunning laughingthrush with a highly restricted distribution: limited to Wuyuan County in China’s Jiangxi Province. Brown-backed and yellow-bellied, with a black bandit’s mask and a bright blue crown lined with silver on the forehead. Breeds in preserved stands of very tall old trees near rural villages; disperses into mixed hill forest afterwards, where it tends to be more difficult to find. A colonial nester, unusual amongst laughingthrushes. Flock members communicate with one with one another with noisy high-pitched churrs.