Plain laughingthrush

The plain laughingthrush or Père David's laughingthrush (Pterorhinus davidi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to central and northeastern China. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.

Plain laughingthrush
Photographed in Huairou, Beijing, China
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Leiothrichidae
Genus:	Pterorhinus
Species:	P. davidi
Binomial name
Pterorhinus davidi R. Swinhoe, 1868
Synonyms
Ianthocincla davidi Garrulax davidi

Egg MHNT

Taxonomy

The plain laughingthrush was described by the English zoologist Robert Swinhoe in 1868 from a specimen collected in Beijing, China. He coined the binomial name Pterorhinus davidi.^[2] The specific epithet honours the French missionary Armand David (1826-1900) who worked in China between 1858 and 1874.^[2][3] This species was normally placed in the genus Garrulax but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, the genus Pterorhinus was resurrected and plain laughingthrush was returned to its original genus.^[4][5]

Vocalization

Males use quiet songs to signify aggressive intent.^[6]