Laughingthrush

The Laughingthrushes, Leiothrichidae is a family of birds in the Sylvioidea superfamily and part of the Old World babbler clade of passerine birds. They occur in tropical Asia, with the greatest number of species occurring in the Himalaya and southern China.

These are rangy, medium-sized, floppy-tailed landbirds with soft fluffy plumage. These birds have strong legs and are quite terrestrial. This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight.

A few, like the Streaked Laughingthrush occur in fairly open habitats, but most are jungle species, difficult to observe in the dense vegetation they prefer.

Like other babblers, these are noisy birds, and the characteristic laughing calls are often the best indication that these birds are present. As with other babbler species, they frequently occur in groups of up to a dozen, and the rainforest species like the Ashy-headed Laughingthrush often occur in the mixed feeding flocks typical of tropical Asian jungle.

Systematics
As with some other babblers, this genus has turned out to be highly polyphyletic. Rather than forming a natural evolutionary group of closest relatives, the laughingthrushes are spread about the entire babbler family. This is quite apparent by their diverse morphology and presence of several groups with distinct color patterns, but the rarity of several species and the sheer number of taxa have hitherto prevented a thorough revision. Before this paraphyly was realized to be as dramatic as it is, it was generally assumed that the laughingthrushes were a clade comprising several subgenera.

This has much confounded further research: most molecular phylogeny studies, for example, used only the White-crested Laughingthrush as an "example" of this "genus", because specimens were readily available. Morphological studies, on the other hand, had usually more material at their disposal, but these too were generally conducted under a false assumption of monophyly. A 2003 study, analyzing mtDNA cytochrome b and 12S/16S rRNA data of a number of laughingthrushes, did establish however that there is no such thing as a "representative" laughingthrush. Consequently most of the work regarding the evolution of this assemblage needs to be evaluated anew and if necessary even redone. Indeed, the taxon Garrulax would need to be restricted to the type species (Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush) and its closest relatives, but the species generally considered the most likely candidates have not been comprehensively studied in recent times.

Species list
The list below uses the treatment of the laughingthrushes by Birds of South Asia and the Handbook of Birds of the World as a baseline, acknowledging the polyphyly of Garrulax and attempting to reorganise it into monophyletic genera.

This list is by no means the last word on the subject though, and it is very likely that some of the new groups will be revised, expanded or split as more species are studied in the future; additional laughingthrushes are presently elevated to species status and even hitherto unknown taxa are discovered at a rate of about 1-2 per year. Some proposed small or monotypic genera on the other hand might ultimately be merged with others for convenience if they turn out to be sister taxa. All in all, the resolution of the laughingthrush assemblage's taxonomy depends on a resolution of the Old World babblers' systematics in general.

Genus Alcippe
(10 species)
 * Javan Fulvetta, Alcippe pyrrhoptera
 * Brown Fulvetta, Alcippe brunneicauda
 * Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Alcippe poioicephala
 * Black-browed Fulvetta, Alcippe grotei
 * Nepal Fulvetta, Alcippe nipalensis
 * David's Fulvetta, Alcippe davidi
 * Yunnan Fulvetta, Alcippe fratercula
 * Mountain Fulvetta, Alcippe peracensis
 * Huet's Fulvetta, Alcippe hueti
 * Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Alcippe morrisonia

Genus Grammatoptila
(1 species)
 * Striated Laughingthrush, Grammatoptila striata

Genus Cutia
(2 species)
 * Himalayan Cutia, Cutia nipalensis
 * Vietnamese Cutia, Cutia legalleni

Genus Acanthoptila
(1 species)
 * Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis

Genus Argya
(10 species)
 * Large Grey Babbler, Argya malcolmi
 * Rufous Chatterer, Argya rubiginosa
 * Striated Babbler, Argya earlei
 * Common Babbler, Argya caudata
 * Afghan Babbler, Argya huttoni
 * Iraq Babbler, Argya altirostris
 * Arabian Babbler, Argya squamiceps
 * Fulvous Babbler, Argya fulva
 * Scaly Chatterer, Argya aylmeri
 * Rufous Babbler, Argya subrufa

Genus Chatarrhaea
(2 species)
 * Slender-billed Babbler, Chatarrhaea longirostris
 * White-throated Babbler, Chatarrhaea gularis

Genus Malacocircus
(3 species)
 * Jungle Babbler, Turdoides striata
 * Orange-billed Babbler, Turdoides rufescens
 * Yellow-billed Babbler, Turdoides affinis

Genus Phyllanthus
(1 species)
 * Capuchin Babbler, Phyllanthus atripennis

Genus Kupeornis
(3 species)
 * White-throated Mountain Babbler, Kupeornis gilberti
 * Red-collared Babbler, Kupeornis rufocincta
 * Chapin's Babbler, Kupeornis chapini

Genus Turdoides
(14 species)
 * Blackcap Babbler, Turdoides reinwardtii
 * Dusky Babbler, Turdoides tenebrosa
 * Black-lored Babbler, Turdoides sharpei
 * Black-faced Babbler, Turdoides melanops
 * Southern Pied-Babbler, Turdoides bicolor
 * Bare-cheeked Babbler, Turdoides gymnogenys
 * Brown Babbler, Turdoides plebejus
 * White-headed Babbler, Turdoides leucocephala
 * Arrow-marked Babbler, Turdoides jardineii
 * Scaly Babbler, Turdoides squamulata
 * Northern Pied-Babbler, Turdoides hypoleuca
 * Hinde's Babbler, Turdoides hindei
 * White-rumped Babbler, Turdoides leucopygia
 * Hartlaub's Babbler, Turdoides hartlaubii

Genus Leucodioptron
(2 species)
 * Chinese Hwamei, Leucodioptron canorum
 * Taiwan Hwamei, Leucodioptron taewanum

Genus Stactocichla

 * Spot-breasted Laughingthrush, Stactocichla merulina
 * Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Stactocichla annamensis



Genus Garrulax
(11 species)
 * Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Garrulax cinereifrons
 * Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush, Garrulax rufifrons
 * Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Garrulax monileger
 * White-crested Laughingthrush, Garrulax leucolophus
 * Sumatran Laughingthrush, Garrulax bicolor
 * Sunda Laughingthrush, Garrulax palliatus
 * Grey Laughingthrush, Garrulax maesi
 * Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush, Garrulax castanotis
 * White-necked Laughingthrush, Garrulax strepitans
 * Cambodian Laughingthrush, Garrulax ferrarius
 * Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Garrulax milleti

Genus Melanocichla
(2 species)
 * Black Laughingthrush, Melanocichla lugubris
 * Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Melanocichla calva

Genus Ianthocincla
(8 species)
 * Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla sukatschewi
 * Moustached Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla cineracea
 * Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla rufogularis
 * Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla konkakinhensis
 * Spotted Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla ocellata
 * Giant Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla maxima
 * Barred Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla lunulata
 * White-speckled Laughingthrush, Ianthocincla bieti

Genus Pterorhinus
(23 species)
 * White-browed Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus sannio
 * Masked Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus perspicillatus
 * Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus ruficollis
 * White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus vassali
 * Wynaad Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus delesserti
 * Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus gularis
 * Yellow-throated Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus galbanus
 * Blue-crowned Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus courtoisi
 * Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus pectoralis
 * White-throated Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus albogularis
 * Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus ruficeps
 * Rusty Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus poecilorhynchus
 * Grey-sided Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus caerulatus
 * Buffy Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus berthemyi
 * Plain Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus davidi
 * Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus mitratus
 * Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus treacheri
 * Black-throated Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus chinensis
 * Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush, Pterorhinus nuchalis
 * Giant Babax, Pterorhinus waddelli
 * Tibetan Babax, Pterorhinus koslowi
 * Mount Victoria Babax, Pterorhinus woodi
 * Chinese Babax, Pterorhinus lanceolatus

Genus Trochalopteron
(21 species)
 * Scaly Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron subunicolor
 * Brown-capped Laughingthrush,Trochalopteron austeni
 * Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron squamatum
 * Streaked Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron lineatum
 * Bhutan Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron imbricatum
 * Striped Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron virgatum
 * Variegated Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron variegatum
 * Black-faced Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron affine
 * White-whiskered Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron morrisonianum
 * Elliot's Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron elliotii
 * Brown-cheeked Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron henrici
 * Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron milnei
 * Red-winged Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron formosum
 * Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron erythrocephalum
 * Assam Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron chrysopterum
 * Silver-eared Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron melanostigma
 * Golden-winged Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron ngoclinhense
 * Collared Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron yersini
 * Malayan Laughingthrush, Trochalopteron peninsulae

Genus Montecincla
(4 species)
 * Banasura Chilappan / Banasura Laughingthrush, Montecincla jerdoni
 * Nilgiri Chilappan / Black-chinned Laughingthrush, Montecincla cachinnans
 * Palani Chilappan / Kerala Laughingthrush, Montecincla fairbanki
 * Ashambu Chilappan / Travancore Laughingthrush, Montecincla meridionalis

Genus Laniellus
(2 species)
 * Grey-crowned Crocias, Laniellus langbianis
 * Spotted Crocias, Laniellus albonotatus

Genus Heterophasia
(7 species)

Genus Leiothrix
(2 species)

Genus Minla
(2 species)

Genus Liocichla
(5 species)

Genus Actinodura
(9 species)