The yellow-throated laughingthrush is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in grassy areas with bushes and trees, scrub and forest in the Patkai mountain range. Until recently, it included the blue-crowned laughingthrush as a subspecies, but unlike that species the crown of the yellow-throated laughingthrush is pale grey.
Region
Northeast India and northern Myanmar (Patkai range)
Typical Environment
Occurs along the Patkai mountain range on the India–Myanmar border, favoring scrubby hillsides, forest edges, secondary growth, and open woodland with dense underbrush. It keeps close to cover, moving through thickets, bamboo, and tangles near clearings and along trails. Birds are most often encountered in mixed shrub–grass mosaics and semi-evergreen forest fringes. It may venture into overgrown plantations and village outskirts where suitable cover remains.
Altitude Range
200–2000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
A noisy member of the laughingthrush family, it travels in small, chatty parties through dense understory. Until recently, the blue-crowned laughingthrush was treated as its subspecies; this species differs by having a pale grey crown and a brighter yellow throat. It is shy and skulking but often betrays its presence with loud, laughter-like calls. Local habitat loss and fragmentation may affect some populations.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually travels in small family groups or loose parties that keep in contact with frequent chatter. Pairs are likely monogamous, nesting low in dense shrubs where a cup nest is concealed. Both parents are thought to share in care of the young, and groups may forage cooperatively.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud series of chattering notes and bubbling, laughter-like phrases delivered in bouts, often as antiphonal exchanges within a group. Calls include sharp scolds, chuckles, and trills that carry well through dense cover.
Plumage
Warm brown to olive-brown upperparts with a contrasting bright yellow throat and upper breast, shading to paler buff underparts. Crown pale grey with darker lores, and a long, graduated tail. Feathers appear smooth and sleek with subtle edging on the wings.
Diet
Takes a mix of insects and other small invertebrates gleaned from foliage and leaf litter, supplemented by berries, soft fruits, and seeds. It probes among tangles and turns over leaves on the ground to find hidden prey. Opportunistically visits fruiting shrubs and may hawk short distances for insects flushed from cover.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense understory, scrub thickets, bamboo patches, and forest edges where cover is abundant. Often forages near clearings, along paths, and in secondary growth where invertebrates and fruit are readily available.
