The plain laughingthrush or Père David's laughingthrush (Pterorhinus davidi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to central and northeastern China. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
| Plain laughingthrush | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Photographed in Huairou, Beijing, China | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Leiothrichidae |
| Genus: | Pterorhinus |
| Species: | P. davidi |
| Binomial name | |
| Pterorhinus davidi R. Swinhoe, 1868 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
The plain laughingthrush was described by the English zoologist Robert Swinhoe in 1868 from a specimen collected in Beijing, China. He coined the binomial name Pterorhinus davidi.[2] The specific epithet honours the French missionary Armand David (1826-1900) who worked in China between 1858 and 1874.[2][3] This species was normally placed in the genus Garrulax but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, the genus Pterorhinus was resurrected and plain laughingthrush was returned to its original genus.[4][5]
Vocalization
Males use quiet songs to signify aggressive intent.[6]