Black-faced Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron affine)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Black-faced Laughingthrush

Trochalopteron affine (Blyth, 1843)

≈25 cmLength73 gWeight

This laughingthrush inhabits open scrub and moist mountain forests at high elevations and migrates between elevations.

Busiest months: April · Most records: Bhutan, China, Nepal

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April · Most records: Bhutan, China, Nepal

Black-faced Laughingthrush has been recorded at 128 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. ChelelaBhutan330 records
  2. PelelaBhutan322 records
  3. Wawu Mountain – Summit [2800m]China235 records
More places
  1. Dochula PassBhutan230 records
  2. Tharpaling MonasteryBhutan179 records
  3. Hike to Tiger's Nest MonasteryBhutan164 records
  4. Wawu Mountain [General Area]China123 records
  5. Tangjiahe NNRChina91 records
  6. Sengor – camp and upper Lingmethan RdBhutan59 records
  7. YotonglaBhutan55 records

Countries and regions with the most records

BhutanChinaNepalIndia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions

How big is the Black-faced Laughingthrush?

The Black-faced Laughingthrush is about ≈25 cm long and weighs around 73 g.

Where does the Black-faced Laughingthrush live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas to northwestern Vietnam. It is most often recorded in Bhutan, China and Nepal.

When is the best time to see the Black-faced Laughingthrush?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black-faced Laughingthrush endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-faced Laughingthrush as Least Concern.

What does the Black-faced Laughingthrush eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Black-faced Laughingthrush in?

It belongs to the family Laughingthrushes & Allies (Leiothrichidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈25 cm
Weight
73 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
102 mm
Tail
122 mm
Bill
24 mm
Tarsus
36 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: Himalayas to northwestern Vietnam

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 6
  • Trochalopteron affine affine w, c Nepal and adjacent s Tibet
  • Trochalopteron affine bethelae e Nepal, Bhutan, ne India and adjacent s Tibet
  • Trochalopteron affine oustaleti n Myanmar and sw China
  • Trochalopteron affine muliense sw Sichuan to nw Yunnan (s China)
  • Trochalopteron affine blythii sc China
  • Trochalopteron affine saturatum c, se Yunnan (s China) and nw Vietnam

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Laughingthrushes & Allies Leiothrichidae
Genus
Trochalopteron

Other birds in the genus Trochalopteron

Scaly LaughingthrushScaly LaughingthrushTrochalopteron subunicolorBrown-capped LaughingthrushBrown-capped LaughingthrushTrochalopteron austeniBlue-winged LaughingthrushBlue-winged LaughingthrushTrochalopteron squamatumStreaked LaughingthrushStreaked LaughingthrushTrochalopteron lineatumBhutan LaughingthrushBhutan LaughingthrushTrochalopteron imbricatumStriped LaughingthrushStriped LaughingthrushTrochalopteron virgatumVariegated LaughingthrushVariegated LaughingthrushTrochalopteron variegatumWhite-whiskered LaughingthrushWhite-whiskered LaughingthrushTrochalopteron morrisonianumBrown-cheeked LaughingthrushBrown-cheeked LaughingthrushTrochalopteron henriciElliot's LaughingthrushElliot's LaughingthrushTrochalopteron elliotiiRed-tailed LaughingthrushRed-tailed LaughingthrushTrochalopteron milneiCollared LaughingthrushCollared LaughingthrushTrochalopteron yersini
Black-faced Laughingthrush

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dibyendu Ash. ↗

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