Plain laughingthrush
| Plain laughingthrush | |
|---|---|
| Photographed in Huairou, Beijing, China | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Leiothrichidae |
| Genus: | Pterorhinus |
| Species: | P. davidi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pterorhinus davidi R. Swinhoe, 1868
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The plain laughingthrush or Père David's laughingthrush (Pterorhinus davidi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to central and northeastern China. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
Taxonomy
The plain laughingthrush was described by the English zoologist Robert Swinhoe in 1868 while resident in Amoy, on the basis of a specimen sent from Beijing by Armand David, alongside another new specimen that would be described as the Beijing babbler. The letter accompanying the two specimens mentioned that it was very common in the mountains around Beijing and was a sedentary species, usually occupying the same habitats as the Beijing babbler. Though David had proposed the binomial name Pomatorhinus stridulus, Swinhoe described it under the name Pterorhinus davidi, erecting the new genus Pterorhinus (from the Greek for "feather nose", in reference to the bird's beak) to accommodate it.[2] The specific epithet honours the aforementioned French missionary (1826-1900) who worked in China between 1858 and 1874.[2][3] This species was normally placed in the genus Garrulax but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, the genus Pterorhinus was resurrected and the plain laughingthrush was returned to its original genus.[4][5]
Description
The bird is distinguished by its curved bill and greyish-brown color with no defined markings, other than some faint mottling on the front. It is the most northerly of the laughingthrushes and therefore the only bird in said family across much of its range. Its appearance and behavior, especially its ability to imitate the calls of other birds, mirrors that of the New World thrashers due to convergent evolution.[6] Its vocalisations include buzzing calls and a relatively varied series of whistled songs similar to those of true thrushes; males have been recorded using quiet songs to signify aggressive intent.[7]
References
- ^ BirdLife International. (2024). "Pterorhinus davidi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024 e.T22715659A263786481. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T22715659A263786481.en. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ a b Swinhoe, Robert (1868). "Ornithological notes from Amoy". Ibis. 2nd Series. 4: 52–65 [60–62]. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1868.tb06100.x.
- ^ Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ Cibois, A.; Gelang, M.; Alström, P.; Pasquet, E.; Fjeldså, J.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Olsson, U. (2018). "Comprehensive phylogeny of the laughingthrushes and allies (Aves, Leiothrichidae) and a proposal for a revised taxonomy". Zoologica Scripta. 47 (4): 428–440. doi:10.1111/zsc.12296. S2CID 51883434.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Laughingthrushes and allies". World Bird List Version 9.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Pere David's Laughingthrush". eBird. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ Liu, Pengfei; Lloyd, Huw; Lou, Yingqiang; Sun, Yuehua (2022-10-05). "Soft song provokes stronger aggressive responses than broadcast song in the Plain Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus davidi)". Ibis. 165 (2): 561–570. doi:10.1111/ibi.13141. ISSN 0019-1019.
External links