Leiothrichidae

Streaked Laughingthrush

Trochalopteron lineatum

Noisy, social and unmistakably pahadi.

Seen atKunja ·Jageshwar ·Barechhina ·Ranikhet

Opens recordings on xeno-canto, the open bird-sound archive.

In the Lap of Nature

What the hills call it

Kastura

/ kas·too·raa /कस्तूरा

HindiBird

Streaked Laughingthrush — Noisy, social and unmistakably pahadi.

Field notes

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Leiothrichidae · Laughingthrushes
Genus: Trochalopteron
Length: 20–22 cm
Weight: 45–70 g
At Kunja: Resident — here all year round
Conservation: Least Concern

How to know it

A small, streaky brown laughingthrush finely marked all over, with rufous wing-patches and a chestnut-edged tail. Noisy and unmistakably pahadi.

What it eats

Insects, berries, seeds and kitchen scraps, foraged on the ground and in low cover.

Where & when to spot it

In the scrub, hedges and terrace banks around the houses, usually in chattering, sociable little parties low down.

Nesting & mating

A cup of grass and roots low in a bush or bank; two to four eggs through spring and the monsoon.

In the field

When we’ve seen it

Most often photographed in March and December, usually in the evening. That makes spring and winter the clearest windows to spot it around the homestay.

Spotting tip: head out in the evening, walk slowly and stop often, and listen as much as you look — most of these birds call before they show themselves.

In the lens