Rufous-necked Laughingthrush

The rufous-necked laughingthrush is a bird of the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal, in subtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forest. It is grey overall with a black face and a rufous neck. It generally feeds on insects but has a generalist bill and can eat seeds, molluscs and berries as well (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is non-migratory and moults very slowly, so young birds look much like older birds. Its quick whip calls are easily recognised, especially in larger feeding groups, and it has very good egg recognition and can remove intruding eggs that do not resemble its own. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, a resident of grassland and scrub with a Moderate range of about 94,900 km² and a rapid current decline of about 7% a year (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).