| Laughingthrushes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| White-crested laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Sylvioidea |
| Family: | Leiothrichidae Swainson, 1832 |
| Genera | |
17; see article text | |
Thelaughingthrushes are a family,Leiothrichidae, ofOld Worldpasserinebirds. The family contains 143 species and is divided into 17genera. The species are diverse in size and coloration. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety inSoutheast Asia and theIndian subcontinent. The entire family used to be included in the Old World babbler familyTimaliidae.
They are small to medium-sized birds. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalised bills, similar to those of athrush. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist.[1]
This group is not stronglymigratory, and mostspecies have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarilyinsectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates.[1]
The family Leiothrichidae was introduced (as a subfamily Leiotrichanae) by the English naturalistWilliam Swainson in 1832.[2] A comprehensivemolecular phylogenetic study of the family published in 2018 led to substantial revision of the taxonomic classification.[3] The laughingthrushes in the genusGarrulax were found to belong to three separate clades that had diverged in theMiocene 7–9 million year ago. The genus was therefore split withGarrulax restricted to one clade and the generaPterorhinus andIanthocincla resurrected for the other two clades. The genusTurdoides was also split and species moved into the resurrected genusArgya.[3][4]
In a separate change, the crocias were moved to the genusLaniellusSwainson, 1832 which has priority overCrociasTemminck, 1836.[4][5][6]
The cladogram below showing the phylogenetic relationship of the Leiothrichidae to other families is based on a study of the babblers by Tianlong Cai and collaborators published in 2019.[7][8]
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The cladogram below shows the phylogenetic relationships between the genera in the family Leiothrichidae based on a study by Alice Cibois and collaborators published in 2018.[3]
| Leiothrichidae |
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The family contains 143 species in 17 genera:[8]