The Indian Subcontinent provides suitable habitats to various species of birds for residing and nesting. Laughingthrushes are no exception in this regard. Kerala Laughingthrush, Black-Chinned Laughingthrush, Wynaad Laughingthrush and Streaked Laughingthrush have been recorded in India. They belong to the kingdom, Animalia; phylum, Chordata; class, Aves; order, Passeriformes; and family, Leiothrichidae. These laughingthrushes are described below.
Kerala Laughingthrush
Kerala Laughingthrush is endemic to the hills of the Western Ghats, south of the Palghat Gap in southern India. This bird has olive brown upper body. The crown of the bird is dark grey-brown and the bill is brown in color. There is a broad white supercilium present above the narrow dark grey eyestripe. The throat of the bird is distinctly grey. The upper breast is grey in color, which is faintly streaked in brown, whereas the lower breast and belly are rusty brown. It is difficult to tell the male and female Kerala Laughingthrushes apart in the field.
Black-Chinned Laughingthrush
Black-Chinned Laughingthrush is endemic to the high elevation areas of the Nilgiris and adjoining hill ranges in peninsular India. This bird has dark olive grey upper body and rufous underside. The bird has slaty brown crown. The supercilium is jagged and broad white, margined with black. The bird has a black bill and reddish brown iris. Also the throat, lores, a streak behind the eye and legs are black in color. The bird has olive brown tail.
Wynaad Laughingthrush
Wynaad Laughingthrush is endemic to the Western Ghats, south of Goa in India. This bird has dark brownish-grey upperparts. It has a black mask and its throat is white in appearance. Its breast is grey in color. The bird has rufous belly and underside. The tail of the bird is uniformly colored. It has some resemblance to Garrulax gularis of northeastern India, which has a yellow throat.
Streaked Laughingthrush
Streaked Laughingthrush is a passerine seen in northern India, especially in the Himalayas. It is a common bird of the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh.
