
Variegated Laughingthrush
Trochalopteron variegatum (Vigors, 1831)
≈24 cmLength64 gWeight
This olive-brown laughingthrush has a single black stripe down the center of the throat and a white tail tip.
Busiest months: March · Most records: India, China, Nepal
How to identify
Field marks
- A single black stripe down the center of the throat
- Olive overall with buff tones
- Large tail with a gray subterminal band and white tip
- Black around the bill extending to the eye; white eye-ring
Where and when it's recorded
Variegated Laughingthrush has been recorded at 12 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Munsyari – Bheema WodeyarIndia183 records
- Langtang National Park - Syabru to Lama HotelNepal24 records
- GyirongChina23 records
More places
- Annapurna Conservation Area - Ghode Pani and PoonhillNepal22 records
- Talhaar Ridge - Margalla HillsPakistan21 records
- Gyirong – Jifu VillageChina21 records
- ZhangmuChina13 records
- SattalIndia12 records
- PangotIndia7 records
- Gyirong – Holy Lake & Mountain PassChina6 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 variegated laughingthrush (Trochalopteron variegatum) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, primarily the low-to-mid altitudes of the Himalayas. It ranges across Bhutan, India, Nepal and Tibet.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Variegated Laughingthrush?
The Variegated Laughingthrush is about ≈24 cm long and weighs around 64 g.
Where does the Variegated Laughingthrush live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: south-central. It is most often recorded in India, China and Nepal.
When is the best time to see the Variegated Laughingthrush?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Variegated Laughingthrush endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Variegated Laughingthrush as Least Concern.
What does the Variegated Laughingthrush eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Variegated Laughingthrush in?
It belongs to the family Laughingthrushes & Allies (Leiothrichidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈24 cm
- Weight
- 64 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 103 mm
- Tail
- 124 mm
- Bill
- 22 mm
- Tarsus
- 36 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: south-central
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Laughingthrushes & Allies Leiothrichidae
- Genus
- Trochalopteron
Other birds in the genus Trochalopteron
Scaly LaughingthrushTrochalopteron subunicolor
Brown-capped LaughingthrushTrochalopteron austeni
Blue-winged LaughingthrushTrochalopteron squamatum
Streaked LaughingthrushTrochalopteron lineatum
Bhutan LaughingthrushTrochalopteron imbricatum
Striped LaughingthrushTrochalopteron virgatum
Black-faced LaughingthrushTrochalopteron affine
White-whiskered LaughingthrushTrochalopteron morrisonianum
Brown-cheeked LaughingthrushTrochalopteron henrici
Elliot's LaughingthrushTrochalopteron elliotii
Red-tailed LaughingthrushTrochalopteron milnei
Collared LaughingthrushTrochalopteron yersini
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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In other languages
- EnglishVariegated Laughingthrush
- 简体中文杂色噪鹛
- 繁體中文雜色噪鶥
- 日本語ヒマラヤガビチョウ
- DeutschBuntflügelhäherling
- FrançaisGarrulaxe varié
- EspañolCharlatán variegado
- Portuguêszaragateiro-variegado
- ItalianoGarrulo sghignazzante variegato
- NederlandsPrachtlijstergaai
- РусскийПестрокрылая кустарница
- Svenskagråvingad fnittertrast
- DanskBroget Skadedrossel
- Polskikrasnosójkowiec szaroskrzydły