Ashy-headed laughingthrush

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Ashy-headed laughingthrush (Argya cinereifrons) is a medium-sized bird in the laughingthrush family (Leiothrichidae). It is about 23 cm long, with a long, floppy tail. Its upperparts are rufous-brown, the belly is deep buff, the head is grey, and the throat is white. It’s very noisy, with laughing calls that can help you find it in dense vegetation.

This bird is a resident species, meaning it does not migrate, and it is endemic to Sri Lanka. It lives mainly in rainforest and wet-zone forests, often deep in jungle or thick bamboo. It used to be placed in the genus Garrulax, but in 2018 scientists moved it to the genus Argya.

The ashy-headed laughingthrush nests in a bush, well hidden in foliage, and usually lays three or four eggs. They are often seen in groups of up to about a dozen and frequently join mixed-species feeding flocks. They mostly eat insects but also eat berries.

In Sri Lanka, the Sinhala name for the bird is alu demalichcha. The species even appears on a Sri Lankan 3-rupee postage stamp. The wet-zone forests where it lives are threatened, but the bird is still common at well-known sites like Kitulgala and Sinharaja.