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| Common Name: | Blue-crowned laughing thrush | Family: | Turdidae |
| Latin Name: | Garrulax courtoisi | Diet: | Insectivore |
| Type: | Bird | Habitat: | Woodlands |
| Native To: | Asia | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Critically Endangered |
Blue-crowned laughing thrushes at Edinburgh Zoo
Here at Edinburgh Zoo we have one male, one female and two young blue-crowned laughingthrush. The male hatched in July 2000 and came to us from Chester Zoo in July 2003, while the female hatched in April 2002 and arrived here in December 2005 from Jersey Zoo. The youngsters were hatched here in 2010, the first successful breeding in the collection.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
Our blue-crowned laughing thrushes can be found in the west section of the Zoo on the path running along the top of the rhino enclosure.
Blue-crowned laughing thrushes in the wild
The blue-crowned laughing thrush (Garrulax courtoisi) is also known as the Courtois’s laughing bird, and is found exclusively in China. As its name suggests, it has a blue crown on the top of its head. Its face is black while its back is covered in olive feathers. The chest and neck are golden yellow.
The blue-crowned laughing thrush lives in a small number of fragmented sites. They live close to human settlements, roosting in trees and nesting in shrubs. They forage on the ground in flocks.
Habitat destruction is this species' biggest threat. Building developments have already destroyed blue-crowned laughing thrush nesting and roosting sites; according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the species has unfortunately not received legal protection from land developments such as resorts, which are being promoted in Wuyuan County, one of the few places the blue-crowned laughing thrush is found.
Due to the severe fragmentation of this species' habitat, the low number of individuals in the wild, and ongoing threats to the species' habitat, the IUCN has listed the blue-crowned laughing thrush as being Critically Endangered. This means that this species is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Breeding programme category: ESB
IUCN Red List Category: Critically Endangered
Adopt a blue-crowned laughing thrush A great way to support RZSS – buy it for yourself or as a gift for the animal lover in your life!
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