The ashy-headed laughingthrush is a member of the family Leiothrichidae. The laughingthrushes are a large family of Old World passerine birds characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in southeast Asia.
Region
South Asia
Typical Environment
This species is confined to the lowland and foothill rainforests of southwestern Sri Lanka, particularly in the wet zone. It favors dense understory, bamboo clumps, and tangled thickets along forest edges and clearings. It also uses secondary growth and scrub near tea and rubber estates where cover is sufficient. Within intact forest it often stays close to streams and damp gullies and forages from ground level up to mid-story. Fragmentation limits its movement between patches, keeping groups localized.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The ashy-headed laughingthrush is a social, noisy member of the Leiothrichidae, often moving in small chattering parties through dense undergrowth. Endemic to Sri Lanka’s wet zone, it keeps low in thickets and can be surprisingly skulking despite its loud calls. It forages methodically for insects and also takes fruit, and will sometimes join mixed-species flocks. Ongoing forest loss in its limited range has made it a conservation concern.
Ashy-headed laughingthrush in Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually encountered in small, cohesive groups that move through dense cover while calling to stay in contact. Pairs nest in low shrubs or thickets, building a cup nest and guarding a small territory within a broader group range. They occasionally join mixed-species flocks with other Sri Lankan forest birds.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Loud, bubbling chatter with cackles and chuckles that sound like laughter. Calls are often delivered antiphonally by group members and can carry through the forest undergrowth.
Plumage
Soft, fluffy plumage with an ashy-grey head and nape contrasting with warmer brown upperparts; underparts are paler buff-brown. Long, slightly graduated tail and rufous-tinged wings; overall appearance is smooth and uniform without heavy spotting.
Diet
Feeds chiefly on insects and other small invertebrates such as beetles, caterpillars, and spiders, gleaned from leaf litter, low branches, and vine tangles. Also consumes berries and small fruits, especially when insect prey is less abundant. It will probe moss and bark crevices and occasionally hawk short distances after flushed prey.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory, along forest edges, and in secondary growth adjacent to primary rainforest. Often follows natural edges, streamside thickets, and overgrown plantation margins where cover is thick.
