Giant Laughingthrush (Ianthocincla maxima)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Giant Laughingthrush

Ianthocincla maxima (Verreaux, J, 1871)

≈32 cmLength120 gWeight

This laughingthrush inhabits temperate forests and has sweet, melodious calls.

Busiest months: May · Most records: China

Least Concern

How to identify

Voice

Sweet, melodious and powerful.

Where and when it's recorded

Giant Laughingthrush has been recorded at 70 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Balang Shan – Tunnel AreaChina215 records
  2. Balang Shan [General Area]China213 records
  3. MengbishanChina177 records
More places
  1. Baxi ForestChina133 records
  2. Balang Shan PassChina93 records
  3. Baizha ForestChina70 records
  4. Lianhuashan NNRChina51 records
  5. Mengbishan – upper trackChina38 records
  6. Gonggangling PassChina25 records
  7. Baxi Forest – lower trackChina24 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China

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

About

The giant laughingthrush (Ianthocincla maxima) is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in central China and far northern India and Myanmar. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Giant Laughingthrush?

The Giant Laughingthrush is about ≈32 cm long and weighs around 120 g.

Where does the Giant Laughingthrush live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: western, north-central China. It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Giant Laughingthrush?

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

Is the Giant Laughingthrush endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Giant Laughingthrush as Least Concern.

What does the Giant Laughingthrush eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Giant Laughingthrush in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈32 cm
Weight
120 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
133 mm
Tail
176 mm
Bill
31 mm
Tarsus
44 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: western, north-central China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Laughingthrushes & Allies Leiothrichidae
Genus
Ianthocincla

Other birds in the genus Ianthocincla

Snowy-cheeked LaughingthrushSnowy-cheeked LaughingthrushIanthocincla sukatschewiRufous-chinned LaughingthrushRufous-chinned LaughingthrushIanthocincla rufogularisChestnut-eared LaughingthrushChestnut-eared LaughingthrushIanthocincla konkakinhensisMoustached LaughingthrushMoustached LaughingthrushIanthocincla cineraceaSpotted LaughingthrushSpotted LaughingthrushIanthocincla ocellataWhite-speckled LaughingthrushWhite-speckled LaughingthrushIanthocincla bietiBarred LaughingthrushBarred LaughingthrushIanthocincla lunulataBrown-cheeked FulvettaBrown-cheeked FulvettaAlcippe poioicephalaBlack-browed FulvettaBlack-browed FulvettaAlcippe groteiBrown FulvettaBrown FulvettaAlcippe brunneicauda
Giant Laughingthrush

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

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