The white-crested laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) is a member of the family Leiothrichidae.It is a highly social and vocal bird found in forest and scrub from the Himalayan foothills to Southeast Asia.
Description: Like other birds in its genus, G. leucolophus has a stocky build, with strong blackish legs and bill, rounded tail, and voluminous plumage.Its body length averages 30 cm, and its tail ranges from 13 to 15 cm.It is named after its characteristic white hood and raised crest. It is also easily recognizable due to its broad and elongated black eye-mask.The mantle, back and underparts from the lower breast down are rufescent, contrasting with the white head, throat and upper chest and fading into darker olive-brown on the tail and upper wings.The nape is light gray.
Females look almost identical to males but have a smaller crest, duller mantle, and slightly more pronounced gray on the nape.Juveniles can be identified by their shorter crest and tail, paler mask, brownish nape and brighter mantle.Subspecies have subtle variations in plumage: G. l. patkaicus’ mantle is a darker, richer chestnut; G. l. belangeri has white extending lower onto the belly and paler underparts; G. l. diardi even more so and with a brighter upper mantle.
Habitat: G. leucolophus is commonly found in foothill forests, up to elevations of 1600m.It favours dense, moist and shady thickets and scrubs, and the edge and understory of broadleaved secondary forests, where it can hide from predators and take shelter from the subtropical sun.It will typically only come out of cover to feed on the ground.The ideal habitat of the white-crested laughingthrush also includes bamboos, which provide excellent nesting substrate and camouflage.
Diet: Similarly to other laughingthrushes, G. leucolophus is omnivorous and opportunistic. It subsists mostly on invertebrates such as beetles, spiders, flies, mealworms and caterpillars, snails and leeches. However, it also eats fruits, seeds, nectar, and even small reptiles and amphibians (snakes, lizards and frogs).In Singapore, observers have noticed individuals picking at human food and garbage.One witness even reported birds soliciting humans for scraps.
When looking for food, G. leucolophus forages on the ground, often in small parties, hopping from one place to the next and tossing the leaf litter aside with its beak to uncover invertebrates.
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