The buffy laughingthrush, also known as the chestnut-winged laughingthrush is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in the Chinese mainland. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the rusty laughingthrush, P. poecilorhynchus; a species restricted to Taiwan following the split. Compared to the rusty laughingthrush, the buffy laughingthrush has paler grey underparts, more contrasting rufous wings, broader white tips to the tail, and distinct black lores.
Region
Southern and eastern China
Typical Environment
Occurs in hill and montane evergreen broadleaf forests, secondary growth, and dense shrubbery along forest edges. It frequents bamboo thickets, ravines, and regenerating clearings where cover is abundant. Birds often move through the lower to mid understory, rarely venturing into open areas for long. It may visit orchards or wooded plantations adjacent to native forest.
Altitude Range
300–2000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The buffy laughingthrush (also called the chestnut-winged laughingthrush) is a skulking forest babbler that favors dense understory and thickets. It was formerly lumped with the rusty laughingthrush of Taiwan but differs in having paler gray underparts, more contrasting rufous wings, broader white tail tips, and distinct black lores. Like many laughingthrushes, it forages in small, noisy parties and often betrays its presence with a loud, laughing chorus.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, fluttering flights
Social Behavior
Often travels in small, cohesive parties that keep contact with constant chattering calls. Pairs nest in dense shrubs or low trees, building a cup nest concealed in foliage. Both sexes likely share incubation and feeding of the young, and family groups may remain together after fledging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, laughing choruses interspersed with scolds and rich whistles. Pairs may duet, and groups sometimes engage in excited, cascading bouts that carry far through the forest.
Plumage
Warm rufous-brown wings contrasting with buffy to pale gray underparts and browner upperparts; tail tipped broadly whitish. Face shows distinct black lores and a subtle pale supercilium; throat paler and lightly mottled. Feathers appear soft and slightly shaggy on the head and upper breast.
Diet
Takes a wide variety of invertebrates such as beetles, caterpillars, ants, and spiders, gleaned from leaves and twigs or picked from the ground. Supplements animal prey with fruits and berries, especially when insects are less abundant. May occasionally take seeds and small snails.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within dense understory, along forest edges, and in bamboo or thickets where cover is close. Often forages close to the ground, hopping through leaf litter and low shrubs, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks.
