White-crested laughing thrushes are noisy, social birds who occasionally burst into loud calls that sound just like laughter. It is this laughter like loud calls that lends this species its name. They also sport a signature white hood and raised crest. They are also easily recognisable due to their broad and elongated black eye-mask, which reminds me of a pirate.
Appearance wise, these birds are attractive enough to be caged and used as a pet. These birds have a stocky build with strong blackish legs and a bill, a rounded tail, and voluminous plumage.
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 grey.
Females look almost identical to males but have a smaller crest, duller mantle and slightly more pronounced grey on the nape. Juveniles can be identified by their shorter crest and tail, paler mask, brownish nape and brighter mantle.
The white-crested laughing thrushes are not at all threatened by extinction. Apparently the ease with which they adapt themselves to new environments is commendable. The ever increasing bird count of this species is reportedly threatening the number of other endemic species in Singapore such as the Abbott's Babbler. Both birds have similar ground foraging habits. Once again, it is the sheer strength in numbers due to the high rate of production causing one species to drive out the other.
White-crested laughing thrushes mate from May to August and can have up to two cycles within these four months. Each time, three to five eggs are laid, which, after a two-week incubation period, produces chicks in a nest made out of bamboo leaves and grass, bound with twigs and stems. The new born chicks turn into adults within just 15 to 18 days. The white-crested laughing thrushes have fantastic social skills and even recruit the first brood of the season to look after and fetch food for the next brood of the same season. White-crested laughing thrushes are cooperative breeders. A female may share a nest with another, and three or more adults may take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks.
White-crested laughing thrushes are social birds, usually in flocks of 6-12 individuals (sometimes up to 40). These small parties can be very noisy as a leader initiates a call and is answered with a chorus in an occasionally disorderly fashion. The name "laughing thrush" comes from the "loud cackling outbursts" they produce, often followed by a quieter, more pleasant chatter. Since they are a highly gregarious species, most of the sounds they produce serve a social purpose, such as reminding other members of their flock of their presence and their movements, alerting them of danger or intruders, or inciting mobbing (they are known to be aggressive birds towards different flocks or species).
The accompaying pictures were taken in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. However, these birds were also sighted by myself in India and Singapore. It is native to the following countries India, Singapore, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Apurva Manek ( apurvamanek1407@gmail.com )
