White-whiskered laughingthrush

Description

White-whiskered laughingthrush is a large, 26 to long, laughingthrush with a distinctive face pattern. The bill is thrush-like and yellowish to horn-colored. The eyes are black. The legs are strong and brownish pink. The mean body weight is about 77 g.

It is a sociable species that often occurs in large groups. It is not necessarily afraid of humans.

Habitat and ecology

The species occurs at elevations between 1475 and above sea level, but typically above 2000 m, in tall grass, forest undergrowth, thickets, and forest edge scrub. It can enter open areas by roadsides and in forest clearings. In the Yushan National Park, it was more abundant in mixed coniferous forest than in grassland, pine woodland, or spruce forest; along with Taiwan fulvetta (Fulvetta formosana) and Taiwan yuhina (Yuhina brunneiceps), it was a dominant species in that habitat. It is a ground omnivore.

Conservation

White-whiskered laughingthrush is a somewhat common species in Taiwan, with an estimated population size between 10,000 and 100,000 breeding pairs. Although its population is believed to be decreasing because of habitat destruction and fragmentation, it is not considered a vulnerable species.

References

References

1. BirdLife International. (2015). "''Trochalopteron morrisonianum''".
2. Brazil, Mark. (2009). "Birds of East Asia". Christopher Helm.
3. (1997). "Abundance and distribution of birds in four, high elevation plant communities in Yushan National Park, Taiwan". Acta Zoologica Taiwanica.
4. (2005). "Energy flux, body size and density in relation to bird species richness along an elevational gradient in Taiwan". Global Ecology and Biogeography.
5. "''Trochalopteron morrisonianum'' (Ogilvie-Grant, 1906)". Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.