| Montecincla | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nilgiri laughingthrush, (Montecincla cachinnans) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Leiothrichidae |
| Genus: | Montecincla Robin et al., 2017 |
| Species | |
See text | |
Montecincla is agenus ofpasserine birds in the familyLeiothrichidae. All four species in this genus areendemic to “sky islands” in theWestern Ghats mountain range of southwesternIndia, generally above 1,200m elevation.[1]
The genus contains the following species:[2]
The four species are found on the tops of mountain ranges separated by deep valleys and are thought to have speciated during global warming. The two pairs separated by the Palghat Gap are estimated to have diverged more than 5 million years ago.
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| Relationships between the species[3] |
