Rufous-necked Laughingthrush Pterorhinus ruficollis Scientific name definitions

22–27 cm; 51–73 g. Medium-sized laughingthrush, cold olive-brown above and below, with black face to breast, rufous neck patch and vent, and black tail. Has mid-crown to nape slaty grey, upperparts , upperwing, belly and flanks dull greyish olive-brown, wing with slightly paler fringes, tail blackish; entire face, including bristly forehead and lores, supercilium, ear-coverts and sub­mous­tachial area, and chin to breast black; area on neck behind ear-coverts and bordering upper breast light rufous-chestnut, mid-belly, thighs and vent also light rufous-chestnut; iris ruby-red to brownish-maroon, narrow orbital ring yellowish; bill brownish-black; legs dark brown to black. Sexes similar. Juvenile is somewhat paler and browner overall than adult.

SC Nepal, Bhutan, all NE Indian states, NE Bangladesh, W, N & NE Myanmar, and adjacent parts of SE Tibet, W Yunnan (China).

Song  consists of fairly quickly repeated, jolly whistled phrases, “wiwi’wi-whu, whi-yi-ha” etc. (hurried at beginning). Also more prolonged, slurred, scratchy outpourings. Rather high, clear and slightly shrill “krkrkrkééérkróókééerkóó” (starts with a few quick notes, then builds in steeply inflected notes to much higher, louder crescendo, falling again steeply at very end), varied with extra notes either on end or separately. Calls with repeated, rather high, shrill “ch’yaa” or “cher” and harsh “whit’it” notes and slow short rattles. Sharp, clear, strongly descending, cheeping, “slééer” notes, varied with less sharp notes and a few short guttural trills.

Not globally threatened. Very local in Nepal, where recorded mainly, locally frequently, in Royal Chitwan National Park. Frequent in Bhutan, where present in Thrumshingla National Park. Locally common in India, where uncommon in Kaziranga National Park and rare in Nameri National Park (Assam), and present elsewhere in NE India in (at least) Buxa Tiger Reserve (West Bengal) and Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and Namdapha and Mouling National Parks (all Arunachal Pradesh). Uncommon in Myanmar. In China, uncommon in lowlands of SE Tibet and rare in extreme W Yunnan.