The orange-breasted laughingthrush is a passerine bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the spot-breasted laughingthrush but has now been split as a separate species.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
The species is restricted to the southern Annamite Range of Vietnam, particularly around the Da Lat (Langbian) Plateau. It favors moist evergreen broadleaf forest, forest edge, and dense secondary growth, including thickets and bamboo. Birds keep to the understory and lower midstory, often near gullies and along forest trails. It tolerates some habitat disturbance but relies on structurally complex, shaded cover. Occasional use of pine–broadleaf ecotones is noted where understory is well developed.
Altitude Range
900–2200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This recently split species is confined to Vietnam’s Da Lat Plateau, where it occupies humid montane forest. Its name refers to the rich orange wash across the upper breast, which helps separate it from the closely related spot-breasted laughingthrush. Like other laughingthrushes, it is vocal and social, often heard before it is seen in dense understory.
Temperament
skulking yet vocal
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, direct flights between cover
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs or small family parties that keep close contact with soft calls. It forages low in dense cover and may join mixed-species flocks in the understory. Breeding pairs hold small territories in suitable forest, with cup nests placed in shrubs or low trees.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rich, melodious series of whistles, chuckles, and bubbling phrases delivered in duets or choruses, giving a classic laughingthrush quality. Calls include chattering scolds and clear piping notes used to maintain contact in dense vegetation.
Plumage
Brown-olive upperparts with a warm rufous tinge to the tail; underparts show a conspicuous orange wash across the throat and upper breast grading to buffy or grayish lower underparts. The face is darker with subtle pale streaking around the ear coverts; spotting on the breast is absent or much reduced compared with spot-breasted laughingthrush. Feathers are soft and slightly loose-textured, giving a fluffy appearance in the understory.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of insects and other small invertebrates, gleaned from foliage and taken from the leaf litter. Beetles, caterpillars, and spiders are common prey. It also consumes small fruits and berries, especially when invertebrates are scarce. Occasional seed intake is likely incidental to fruit feeding.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the shaded understory of evergreen forest, along forest edges, and in dense secondary growth and bamboo. Often searches along trails, stream margins, and thickets where leaf litter and low branches provide cover.
