Chestnut-hooded laughingthrush

Appearance

The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush is 22–24 cm long, with both sexes having similar appearances. In the nominate subspecies, the chin, lores, supercilium, feathers around the nostrils, and the area around the base of the bill are chestnut brown. The forehead, front of the crown, and the area from the eyes down to the chin are darker, with some greyish-white feathering on the crown. The throat, breast, and upper belly are dull yellowish-brown with a greyish tinge and dull yellowish-brown streaking. The flanks are purer grey, while the lower belly, thighs, and vent are reddish-brown. The side of the neck and the upperparts are slaty-grey with a slight yellowish-brown tinge, with a long white patch on the primaries. The tail is darker grey and has a blackish tip. The iris is red to reddish-brown, with a yellow half eye-ring behind and below the eye. The bill is dull orange to yellowish-brown, while the legs are yellowish.

Juveniles are duller than adults. "P. t. damnatus" has a duller breast with less streaking, while "P. t. griswoldi" has more intense chestnut on the vent. The species differs from the chestnut-capped laughingthrush by the feathering on the nostrils, its yellow eye-ring that is only present behind and below the eye, chestnut brown chin, greyer upperparts, paler underparts, and greyer feathers on the crown.

Naming

There are currently three recognised subspecies of the chestnut-hooded laughingthrush. The subspecies that inhabits western and southeastern Borneo is unknown.

⤷  "P. t. treacheri" : The nominate subspecies, it is found in northern Borneo.
⤷  "P. t. damnatus" : It is found in north-central Borneo.
⤷  "P. t. griswoldi" : It is found in central Borneo.

Distribution

The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush is endemic to Borneo, where it is found in the north-central mountain ranges from Mount Kinabalu to Barito Ulu, along with the Meratus Mountains in the southeast of the island. It inhabits evergreen montane forest and hill forest, forest edge, secondary forest, disturbed vegetation, and cultivated areas such as short growth in old rice fields. It is usually found at elevations of 600–2,800 m, but may sometimes be seen as low as 200 m and as high as 3,350 m.

Status

The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush is classified as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to its very large range, fairly large population, and a lack of significant population decline. It is common in the montane regions of Borneo and occurs in several protected areas, such as Kayan Mentarang National Park and Kinabalu Park. However, its population is currently thought to be declining due to habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation.

Behavior

The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush forages in small groups of 4–5 birds, frequently joining mixed-species foraging flocks that can include the Sunda cuckooshrike, Sunda laughingthrush, Whitehead's broadbill, and Whitehead's trogon. These flocks can include "Tupaia" treeshrews and "Dremomys" squirrels on the ground and "Sundasciurus" squirrels in the canopy.

Reproduction

Breeding in the species has been observed from February to April and in October. The cup-shaped nest is a loose collection made of grass stems, tendrils, dead leaves, and roots, with an outer layer of leaf skeletons, fern leaves, and feathers and no inner lining. It is placed at a height of around 2–9 m in a mass of creepers or ferns suspended from a small tree. Clutches have two glossy, bright blue to greenish-blue eggs.

Food

The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush is omnivorous. It feeds on arthropods such as grasshoppers, ants, crickets, earwigs, moths, caterpillars, leafhoppers, bug larva, flies, small black beetles, and small millipedes. It also eats the fruit of "Glochidion", "Macaranga", "Trema cannabina", "Embelia ribes", "Sambucus", and melastomes like "Medinilla," along with the flowers of the invasive "Passiflora edulis" and both the fruits and flowers of "Rhodamnia".

The species forages by hopping up slanting branches in a woodpecker-like manner without using its tail for support and taking insects from the surface. It sometimes clings to vertical surfaces like the trunks of tree ferns. It will also forage on forest floors and lawns like a "Turdus" thrush, holding its tail up. It has been recorded feeding on flying ants that are unable to fly and insects hit by vehicles. Foraging is mainly conducted within a few metres of the ground, but the species also sometimes feeds in the canopy.