AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

132. Garrulax pectoralis pectoralis

(132) Garrulax pectoralis pectoralis (Gould).
THE INDIAN BLACK-GORGETED LAUGHING-THRUSH.
Garrulax pectoralis pectoralis, Fauna B. I., Birds, 2nd ed. vol i, p. 150.
The range of this Black-gorgeted Laughing-Thrush extends from Nepal in the West to Eastern Assam, North and South of the Brahmapootra, into Northern Burma, the Shan States and Yunnan.
It is a bird of low levels and is most common in Summer from about 1,000 to 2,000 feet, but breeds freely down to the foot-hills and sometimes even in the adjoining plains, as in Margherita. On the other hand it often breeds at still higher elevations. It is common at Cherrapoonji, 4,000 feet, almost equally so at Maymyio in the Bhamo Hills, nearly up to 5,000 feet, where Mackenzie has taken it, and in the Upper Chindwin, at the same elevation, at which Hopwood has found its nest.
Mandelli also took their nests in Sikkim in early July but does not record the altitude. Primrose and Stevens took others in Sikkim up to about 4,000 feet, but Shaw records it up to 5,600 feet at Mangpu.
It breeds principally from April to June but a few birds have nests and eggs in late March, whilst others breed in July and even August, though these nests are probably always second broods.
The nest is a broad, rather shallow saucer, measuring out¬wardly between 7 and 8 inches across and about 2.1/2 to 4 inches in depth, with inner measurements about 2 inches less each way. They are generally untidily and rather loosely put together, the major part of the materials consisting of bamboo-leaves, in addition to which other dead leaves, roots, scraps of moss, bracken etc. are used, the whole being bound round by weed-stems and tendrils. These are more or less interlaced and sometimes worked under, as well as over, the bamboo-leaves, but they never seem to be drawn tight. In a few nests long roots take the place of tendrils. The lining is of roots, more or less mixed with fine, straight tendrils, grass-stems and fern-stems. They are built, indifferently, in bushes, high or low, densely foliaged or almost bare, or in small trees. Sometimes when in bushes or brambles they may be only a couple of feet or less from the ground, whilst in saplings they may be as much as 20 feet from it.
A nest taken by Wickham in Northern Burma, and from which he saw the bird leave, was placed on the ground in among grass.
They breed much in rather deep forest but are very partial to secondary growth in deserted cultivation and may also often be found in bamboo-jungle, in which they use bamboo-clumps in place of bushes in which to make their nests.
The eggs number three to five, four being the number most often found, whilst I once found as many as seven, and Harington, also, once took a seven-clutch at Maymyio.
The eggs are blue of a fairly deep shade and vary very little in depth of colour. In shape they are rather long true ovals, some¬times rather pointed at the smaller end. The texture is smooth, but there is only a slight gloss in most eggs and none in some of them.
One hundred eggs average 31.4 x 22.7 mm. : maxima 33.8 x 22.7 and 29.2 x 24.1 mm. ; minima 28.7 x 21.6 and 30.2 x 20.9 mm.

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: 
132. Garrulax pectoralis pectoralis
Spp Author: 
Gould.
Book Author: 
Edward Charles Stuart Baker
CatNo: 
132
Year: 
1932
Page No: 
112
Common name: 
Indian Black Gorgeted Laughing Thrush
M_ID: 
24863
M_SN: 
Garrulax pectoralis pectoralis
Volume: 
Vol. 1
id: 
13338

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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