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Bhutan Laughingthrush Trochalopteron imbricatum Scientific name definitions

Nigel Collar and Craig Robson
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2007

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

19–20 cm; 40–55 g. Small laughingthrush, streaky warm brown with grey ear-coverts. Has crown to mantle and back warm mid-brown with long glossy shafts, these becoming white on back but all fading to plain dirty greyish-brown on rump and uppertail-coverts; wing fringes warm mid-brown, fringes pale grey on outermost primaries and pale olive on adjacent ones, tail dull rufescent brown with narrow dull buffy-white tips; face (lores, submoustachial area, cheek, ear-coverts and superciliary area) and neck side pale greyish-brown with narrow white shaft streaks; chin to belly slightly pinkish-tinged greyish-brown with whitish shafts, shading to plainer, darker, dirtier rufous-brown on flanks, thighs and vent; iris bright reddish-brown to brown; upper mandible dark horn, lower mandible pale horn; legs horn-brown to brownish-black. Distinguished from very similar T. lineatum by unstreaked rich brown crown, lack of rusty ear-coverts, more extensive white shaft streaks from moustachial region and ear-coverts to side of neck, richer brown upperparts and tail, absence of rufous wingpanel and of background grey in plumage above or below (making for a richer, darker lower belly), considerably longer tail with greatly reduced pale tips. Sexes similar. Juvenile apparently undescribed.

Systematics History

Until recently considered conspecific with T. lineatum, but distinct in many features, with no intergradation despite close geographical proximity; also, most vocalizations differ considerably, and playback of recordings apparently elicits no response. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Bhutan, NE India (W Arunachal Pradesh) and adjacent SE Tibet.

Habitat

Bushes and long grass, thick scrub bordering cultivation, scrub and thickets in open and secondary forest, including in areas opened up by tree-felling; found at 1400–2400 m, but occasionally down to 900 m and up to 2900 m, and one record in W Bhutan at 3800 m.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

No information on diet; presumably small invertebrates and some vegetable matter. Occurs in pairs or in small flocks of up to six individuals, and of 10–20 or more birds during winter. Forages primarily on ground; generally rather confiding.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Songs recall those of T. lineatum but shorter, with introductory notes greatly reduced and jumbled (probably often inaudible): “(ftz)-ééyééw” (main strophe strongly downslurred), “(fwer)fwéééyééw” (almost inaudible introductory notes, then quickly upslurred and downslurred thin whistle), and “(fst-)kléééééer (prolonged end note); also a quick, unintroduced 3-note “kip-ká-wéér”, which may be duetted with chittery-prefaced songs more like those of T. lineatum, or similar version prefaced by buzzy, excited, squealing “schléé”. First song type sometimes duetted with more slurred “tuuwhéééúúu”. Songs may also be mixed with buzzy chittering and trills in continuous sequence or burry triplets (which are also sometimes given alone), which have each note descending (but all on same pitch), the first the longest but the other two louder. Calls include short, buzzy, excited upturned “bzzrt-bzzrt…”, irregularly repeated.

Breeding

Apr–Jun. Nest-building pair in Bhutan (in Apr), disappearing into bracken thicket. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not assessed. Common in Bhutan; near Zhemgang, density of 0·8 breeding pairs/km of road at 1600–1900 m (probably in suboptimal habitat). Present in and/or near Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Arunachal Pradesh), in India.
Distribution of the Bhutan Laughingthrush - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Bhutan Laughingthrush

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Collar, N. and C. Robson (2020). Bhutan Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron imbricatum), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bhulau1.01
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