Sunda Laughingthrush Garrulax palliatus Scientific name definitions

24–25 cm. Dull slate-grey medium-sized laughingthrush with black face and dull chestnut back and wings. Nominate race has crown to mantle dull slate-grey, lower mantle, back and scapulars dull chestnut-brown, wing fringes and tail dark brown; bristly lores and cheek black, rear ear-coverts and neck side as mantle; chin to submoustachial area as mantle with sooty-blackish streaks radiating in narrow lines onto mid-grey throat, which shades back to slate-grey on upper breast to lower belly; flanks, thighs and vent dull rufescent-tinged darkish brown; iris deep dull red to brown or grey, fairly large eyering pale silvery blue ; bill black; legs brownish black or greyish black. Sexes similar. Juvenile has grey of mantle and back mixed with brown, no streaking on throat, flanks to vent duller, iris dark grey. Race <em>schistochlamys</em> has back slate-grey, wing fringes and tail darker than nominate, less black on face and ear-coverts, richer chestnut-tinged flanks to vent.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Insects, including beetles (Coleoptera), moths and caterpillars (Lepidoptera), mantids; also seeds and other vegetable matter, including fruits of Macaranga and Mallotus. Found in flocks of up to 12 or more individuals, sometimes in association with other species, including G. calvus. Forages in low vegetation and on ground , flicking over big leaves with bill, and will drop to ground to pick up invertebrates disturbed by tree-shrews (Tupaia); generally forages lower than does G. treacheri. In Mount Kinabalu National Park (N Borneo) hunts moths around lights at dawn.

Flock “songs” start gently with “yieu, yieu” (sometimes interspersed with “ydidit” or “yirdrrt”), speeding up into raucous, bubbling, tumbling chaos of sound (screeching, chattering laughter), then easing into either “wikachwakachwikadiwik”, 4–30 quickly repeated “wiku” notes, or flowing “wipiwuwipiwipiwu” etc. Grating, rattling, churring sounds also given, as well as sibilant soft, yelping, contact calls, e.g. “yo, yo, yo…”, “jieu, jieu”, “yuk, yuk”, “jup, jup”, “jip”.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Bornean Mountains EBA and Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia EBA. Fairly common. Occurs in Mount Kinabalu National Park (Sabah) and Kayan Mentarang National Park (E Kalimantan), on Borneo, and in Gunung Leuser National Park, on Sumatra.