AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

128(a). Garrulax leueolophus hardwickii

(128 a) Garrulax leucolophus hardwickii Ticehurst.
THE EASTERN HIMALAYAN WHITE-CRESTED LAUGHING-THRUSH.
Garrulax leucolophus leucolophus, Fauna B. I., Birds, 2nd ed. vol i, p. 146 (part.).
Garrulax leucolophus hardwickii, ibid. vol. viii, p. 599.
The Eastern form of White-headed Laughing-Thrush breeds throughout the hills of South Assam, Manipur, the Northern Chin and Kachin Hills and the hills and Yomas of Arrakan and, also, Yunnan. In Assam this Laughing-Thrush is very common indeed and I have seen an immense number of their nests and eggs. They breed freely everywhere between 1,000 and 6,000 feet and often both lower and higher than this, but they are, perhaps, most numerous between 1,500 and 2,500 feet. Here their favourite cover is the most dense secondary growth such as one finds in tracts once cultivated but abandoned for three or four years. In the tangle of bush, small trees, bracken, canes and brambles they are thoroughly at home ; at the same time they often breed in deep virgin forest and, less often, in open bamboo-jungle.
The nest is exactly like that of the preceding bird, and I can add nothing to Hume’s description. They almost invariably select sites low down for their nests, often only a few inches from the ground and but seldom 20 feet from it.
They are most sociable birds, and even in the breeding season collect in small parties and go through their musical dances, each exhorting the others, in a loud and cackling voice, to do their best, all the time fluttering about, playing “follow-my-leader” or dancing and posturing on the ground or the low bushes. On one occasion I was watching a party of these birds performing when a loud cackle above my head attracted my attention and, looking up, I saw a Laughing-Thrush sitting on her nest, head well over the side and quivering with excitement, evidently longing to join the gay party down below.
They breed throughout April, May and June, but I have also taken eggs as early as March and as late as August and I think many birds breed twice. In the Chin Hills Mackenzie took nests with eggs in May. They lay four to six eggs which, as already noted and described in regard to the eggs of the previous race, are unlike those of any other Garrulax.
Two hundred eggs average 28.1 x 22.8 mm. : maxima 30.0 x 23.4 and 28.7 x 24.1 mm. ; minima 25.0 x 21.0 mm.
The period of incubation is probably fourteen days. A clutch of four, of which the first egg was laid on the 15th May, had the first chick hatched on the 1st June.
Both sexes take part in the incubation, but the nest is left with eggs exposed during the heat of the day for hours at a time, though in wet weather the birds sit very close all day.

BookTitle: 
The Nidification Of Birds Of The Indian Empire
Reference: 
Baker, Edward Charles Stuart. The nidification of birds of the Indian Empire. Vol. 1. 1932.
Title in Book: 
128(a). Garrulax leueolophus hardwickii
Spp Author: 
Ticehurst.
Book Author: 
Edward Charles Stuart Baker
CatNo: 
128
Year: 
1932
Page No: 
109
Common name: 
Western Himalayanwhite-crested Laughing-thrush
M_ID: 
24798
M_CN: 
White-crested Laughingthrush
M_SN: 
Garrulax leucolophus
Volume: 
Vol. 1
id: 
13334

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Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith