Wayanad laughingthrush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wayanad laughingthrush |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Leiothrichidae |
| Genus: | Pterorhinus |
| Species: |
P. delesserti
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| Binomial name | |
| Pterorhinus delesserti (Jerdon, 1839)
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| Synonyms | |
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Dryonastes delesserti |
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The Wayanad laughingthrush (Pterorhinus delesserti) is a special bird found only in the Western Ghats of India. These birds live in groups in dense forests. They make loud calls, but they can be hard to see because they hide in the thick bushes!
This bird has brown feathers on its back and a white throat. It also has a wide black mask across its eyes. Its strong beak has a pale yellow lower part. Even though its name comes from the Wayanad region, this bird lives in a larger area than other laughingthrush species in South India.
Contents
About the Wayanad Laughingthrush
How Scientists Named This Bird
The Wayanad laughingthrush was first described in 1839. A British doctor and naturalist named Thomas C. Jerdon gave it its first scientific name. He chose the name delesserti to honor a French naturalist, Adolphe Delessert. Mr. Delessert had collected bird samples near Kotagiri in India.
Over time, scientists have changed the bird's scientific group, or "genus," several times. This happens as new studies, especially those looking at bird DNA, give us more information. Today, it is placed in the genus Pterorhinus.
What Does This Bird Look Like?
The Wayanad laughingthrush has dark brownish-grey feathers on its upper body. It has a black mask over its eyes and a white throat. Its chest is grey, and its belly is a reddish-brown color.
This bird looks a bit like the rufous-vented laughingthrush from northeastern India. However, the rufous-vented laughingthrush has a yellow throat, while the Wayanad laughingthrush has a white one. Also, the Wayanad laughingthrush has a pale lower beak, unlike the all-dark beak of the other species.
Where Does This Bird Live?
The Wayanad laughingthrush lives in different spots south of Goa in India. It prefers to live in warm, wet forests. You can find these birds from the flat plains to the high hills of southern India.
They have been seen in places like Goa, Castle Rock, and Dandeli. They are also found in the Brahmagiris and Nilgiris hills, stretching south to the Ashambu hills.
Behaviour and Life Cycle
How These Birds Live
Wayanad laughingthrushes are very social birds. They usually live in groups of six to fifteen birds. Sometimes, as many as forty birds might gather together! They like to stay hidden in the undergrowth.
These birds mostly find their food on the ground. They turn over leaves to look for insects. They also eat fallen seeds or berries. They make loud, chattering, and cackling calls. Some of their calls sound like the rufous babbler bird.
Reproduction and Nests
The main time for these birds to have babies is during the monsoon season. This is usually from April to August in Kerala and July to September in Karnataka. However, they might breed at other times too.
Their nest is like a messy cup made of grasses, with a dome shape over the top. They build their nests low in a bush. A typical nest holds three eggs. The eggs are very round and white, not blue. Sometimes, more than two adult birds are seen near a nest. This suggests that other birds, called "helpers," might assist the parents in raising the young.
 | Frances Mary Albrier |
 | Whitney Young |
 | Muhammad Ali |
