White-crested Laughingthrush

The white-crested laughingthrush is a highly social and vocal member of the family Leiothrichidae, found in forest and scrub from the Himalayan foothills to Southeast Asia. Its body length averages 30 cm, with a 13–15 cm tail. It has the stocky build of its genus, strong blackish legs and bill, a rounded tail and voluminous plumage, and is easily recognised by its broad, elongated black eye-mask and light grey nape; juveniles have a shorter crest and tail, a paler mask, a brownish nape and a brighter mantle (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is commonly found in foothill forests up to 1,600 m, foraging on the ground in small parties, hopping and tossing the leaf litter aside with its bill to uncover invertebrates, and typically comes out of cover only to feed on the ground. It breeds several times between February and September. It is thought to survive only in small numbers in Malaysia because of trapping, while in Singapore it has become well established and may displace native ground-foraging birds (Wikipedia, general species account).