Trochalopteron yersini
The Collared Laughingthrush (*Trochalopteron yersini*) is a striking and endemic passerine, captivating birders with its bold plumage and highly restricted range. Measuring approximately 25-26 cm (10 inches) in length, this medium-sized babbler is immediately recognizable by its dark grey head contrasting with a prominent white supercilium and a broad, bright white collar encircling the hindneck. Its body plumage is a rich chestnut-brown, with blackish wings and tail, and olive-brown flanks, ...
This species exclusively inhabits moist montane evergreen and broadleaf forests, often favoring areas with dense undergrowth, bamboo thickets, and mossy trees at elevations typically ranging from 1,200 to 2,100 meters.
The Collared Laughingthrush is omnivorous, primarily feeding on a variety of insects, including beetles, ants, and larvae, supplemented by berries and small fruits. It forages by gleaning from foliage and probing moss and detritus in the undergrowth.
Collared Laughingthrushes are generally social birds, typically found in small, active flocks of 3-10 individuals, sometimes joining mixed-species foraging parties. They are diurnal, spending their days foraging energetically in the dense undergrowth and lower to middle strata of the forest. Thei...
The Collared Laughingthrush is an extreme endemic, with its entire global population restricted to a small area within the Da Lat Plateau in the southern Annamite Mountains of southern Vietnam. Its distribution is primarily centered around Lang Biang and Dalat, extending to several mountain peaks...
Near Threatened
- The Collared Laughingthrush is named after its discoverer, Dr. Alexandre Yersin, a Swiss-French physician and bacteriologist famous for co-discovering the plague bacillus. - This species is an absolute endemic to a very specific, limited region of Vietnam – the Da Lat Plateau in the southern An...