The white-speckled laughingthrush, also known as Biet's Laughingthrush, is a species of passerine bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to China. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Region
Southwest China
Typical Environment
Occupies mid- to high-elevation montane forests with dense understory, including evergreen broadleaf and mixed conifer-broadleaf stands. It favors thickets of bamboo and rhododendron, forest edges, and lightly disturbed secondary growth. Birds typically keep close to cover, moving through tangled shrubs and along streamside vegetation. The species has a patchy distribution tied to intact forest fragments.
Altitude Range
1600–3200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called Biet's laughingthrush, it was named after French missionary-naturalist Félix Biet. Recent genetic studies moved it from Garrulax to the genus Ianthocincla. It is a shy understory bird but often reveals itself with loud, laughing choruses. Ongoing forest loss and fragmentation in its limited range threaten its survival.
Temperament
secretive yet social in small groups
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Often travels in pairs or small family parties, keeping low in dense cover. Likely monogamous, nesting in low shrubs or dense thickets with a cup-shaped nest. Clutches are small, and adults are attentive, remaining quiet near the nest but vocal when foraging as a group.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rich, varied series of chuckles and melodious whistles that build into a laughing chorus. Contact calls are harsh chatter and scolding notes when alarmed.
Plumage
Warm brown to olive-brown with dense white speckling, especially on the crown, nape, mantle, and breast; wings and tail slightly darker with less spotting.
Diet
Takes a wide range of invertebrates such as beetles, caterpillars, and other insects gleaned from foliage and leaf litter. Supplements with berries, small fruits, and seeds, especially outside the breeding season. May occasionally consume small snails or other soft-bodied prey.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the understory and near the forest floor, working through bamboo and rhododendron thickets. Frequently uses forest edges, clearings, and scrubby secondary growth adjacent to mature forest.
