Scaly Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron subunicolor)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Scaly Laughingthrush

Trochalopteron subunicolor Blyth, 1843

≈22 cmLength66 gWeight

This laughingthrush migrates up and down slopes and inhabits mountain forest and alpine scrub.

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

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

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

Scaly Laughingthrush has been recorded at 50 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Baihualing [General Area]China186 records
  2. Lingmethang Rd – Namling mid-elevation forestBhutan34 records
  3. Yongkhola campBhutan30 records
More places
  1. JiangjiazhaiChina25 records
  2. Baihualing – Jiujiezi SaddleChina15 records
  3. TrongsaBhutan14 records
  4. Pianma Snow PassChina9 records
  5. Sengor – camp and upper Lingmethan RdBhutan8 records
  6. Dulong River ValleyChina8 records
  7. ThrumsinglaBhutan6 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaBhutanNepalIndia

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 Scaly Laughingthrush?

The Scaly Laughingthrush is about ≈22 cm long and weighs around 66 g.

Where does the Scaly Laughingthrush live?

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

When is the best time to see the Scaly Laughingthrush?

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

Is the Scaly Laughingthrush endangered?

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

What does the Scaly Laughingthrush eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Scaly Laughingthrush in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈22 cm
Weight
66 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
92 mm
Tail
108 mm
Bill
19 mm
Tarsus
37 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 · 2
  • Trochalopteron subunicolor griseatum n Myanmar and w Yunnan (sw China)
  • Trochalopteron subunicolor fooksi se China and n Vietnam

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Laughingthrushes & Allies Leiothrichidae
Genus
Trochalopteron

Other birds in the genus Trochalopteron

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

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

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