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Rufous-necked Laughingthrush - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by James Eaton
Digboi, Assam, India, April 2011
Pterorhinus ruficollis

Dryonastes ruficollis
Garrulax ruficollis
Ianthocincla ruficollis

Identification

22 - 27cm. A small and trim Laughingthrush:

  • Dark olive plumage with a dark grey crown
  • Face, throat and upper breast blackish
  • Post-auricular patch bright chestnut
  • Bright chestnut lower belly and vent
  • Blackish tail

Sexes similar. Juveniles are less marked with browner plumage and much duller rufous on vent

Similar species

Superficially similar to Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush but ranges don't overlap and the two species may not even belong to the same genus.

Distribution

From southcentral Nepal east to Bhutan, northeast India, northeast Bangladesh, north Burma and adjacent south China (Tibet, Yunnan).
Locally common, generally rare in Burma and China.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].
This species is sometimes placed in the genus Ianthocincla or in Dryonastes.

Habitat

Broadleaf forest, secondary growth, forest edge, also scrub, grass, bamboo-jungle and reeds. Often along streams. Found at 120 - 1645m, up to 2000m in Bhutan.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on insects and small molluscs. Takes also berries and seeds, including rice or millet.
Usually seen in groups of up to 30 birds outside breeding season. Forages among low bushes or on the ground.

Breeding

Breeding season March to August. The nest is a compact deep cup made of dry bamboo, other leaves, grasses, roots, weed stems and creeper stems. It's placed in brambles or a bush, some 1 - 1.7m above the ground. Lays 3 - 4 eggs.

Movements

Resident species.

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
  3. Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672

Recommended Citation

External Links

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