Bird Guide

Plain Laughingthrush vs Rufous-necked Laughingthrush

Plain Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus davidi)

Plain Laughingthrush

Pterorhinus davidi

56 gForest

The bird is distinguished by its curved bill and greyish-brown color with no defined markings, other than some faint mottling on the front. It is the most northerly of the laughingthrushes and therefore the only bird in said family across much of its range. Its appearance and behavior, especially its ability to imitate the calls of other birds, mirrors that of the New World thrashers due to convergent evolution.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sun Jiao (Interaccoonale) · CC BY 4.0
Rufous-necked Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus ruficollis)

Rufous-necked Laughingthrush

Pterorhinus ruficollis

66 gForest

The rufous-necked laughingthrush is actually not a thrush but a species of babbler, it is roughly 22–27 centimetres (8.7–10.6 in) in length and weighs anywhere between 51–73 grams (1.8–2.6 oz). The rufous-necked laughingthrush as its name implies has a rustic color around its neck. overall the bird is grey with a black face and its rufous neck. Due to the fact that they are non migratory birds this means that they molt very slowly which means that they look the same as young birds than as older birds. Voice: The vocalization of this laughingthrush is a series of small chirps that ramble in out of order note calls which resemble mocking bird calls that simulate some babbling or laughing as the name describes. Its quick whip calls are easily recognizable especially in larger flocks of feeding groups.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Rufous-necked Laughingthrush
Recorded by Ujjal Kishor De · Call, duet · Ambedkar College, fatikroy, Unakoti, Tripura, India · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Shiv's fotografia · CC0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Plain Laughingthrush and Rufous-necked Laughingthrush.