Blue-crowned Laughingthrush
Encyclopedia
The Blue-crowned Laughingthrush or Courtois's Laughingbird (Garrulax courtoisi) is a Chinese
species of bird
in the Timaliidae family. Until recently, this critically endangered
species was generally treated as a subspecies
of the Yellow-throated Laughingthrush
, but that species has a pale grey (not bluish) crown.
Presently placed in the massively paraphyletic genus
Garrulax, it might be among the laughingthrushes that are candidates for removal to Dryonastes. As it is altogether quite distinct from other laughingthrushes in ecology and behavior however, its taxonomic status remains to be resolved by a thorough review of the entire group.
The nominate subspecies was only rediscovered in 2000 in Jiangxi
, but remains very rare with a total wild population of approximately 200 individuals. The subspecies G. courtoisi simaoensis has not been encountered in the wild since the type specimens were collected in Yunnan
in 1956. More than 100 Blue-crowned Laughingthrushes are kept in zoo
s (where part of a captive breeding program) and private aviculture
, but it is unclear what subspecies they belong to. A recent review failed to support the distinction of two separate subspecies, leading to simaoensis being treated as a synonym
of the nominate in Handbook of the Birds of the World
.
This bird was erroneously listed as a species of Least Concern in the 2006 IUCN Red List
. Actually, it seems close to extinction at least in the wild, and its status was thus corrected to Critically Endangered 2007 Red List issue.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Timaliidae family. Until recently, this critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
species was generally treated as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Yellow-throated Laughingthrush
Yellow-throated Laughingthrush
The Yellow-throated Laughingthrush is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family. It is found in grassy areas with bushes and trees, scrub and forest in north-eastern India, south-eastern Bangladesh and western Myanmar...
, but that species has a pale grey (not bluish) crown.
Presently placed in the massively paraphyletic genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Garrulax, it might be among the laughingthrushes that are candidates for removal to Dryonastes. As it is altogether quite distinct from other laughingthrushes in ecology and behavior however, its taxonomic status remains to be resolved by a thorough review of the entire group.
The nominate subspecies was only rediscovered in 2000 in Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, but remains very rare with a total wild population of approximately 200 individuals. The subspecies G. courtoisi simaoensis has not been encountered in the wild since the type specimens were collected in Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
in 1956. More than 100 Blue-crowned Laughingthrushes are kept in zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
s (where part of a captive breeding program) and private aviculture
Aviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
, but it is unclear what subspecies they belong to. A recent review failed to support the distinction of two separate subspecies, leading to simaoensis being treated as a synonym
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
of the nominate in Handbook of the Birds of the World
Handbook of the Birds of the World
The Handbook of the Birds of the World is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series is edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A Christie.So far, 15...
.
This bird was erroneously listed as a species of Least Concern in the 2006 IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
. Actually, it seems close to extinction at least in the wild, and its status was thus corrected to Critically Endangered 2007 Red List issue.