Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush
Pterorhinus mitratus
NEAR THREATENED
Bukit Fraser, Malaysia
Once again picking up the series on the Laughingthrushes - a species I have observed the most - today specifically is about the Near Threatened Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush. I have had a lot of luck with the laughingthrushes at almost every location I have been to and have also had the opportunity to observe them at fairly close proximity.
Read about them.
The laughingthrushes are a family of Old World passerine birds diverse in size and coloration. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The entire family used to be included in the Timaliidae.
These laughingthrushes are small to medium-sized birds with strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalised bills, similar to those of a thrush. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist.
This group is not strongly migratory, & most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarily insectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates.
The family contains 133 species divided into 16 genera.
I have written, in earlier blogs, about a few of the genera listed here like the Spectacled Barwing, the Red-faced Liocichla, the Silver-eared Mesia, the Sibias and the Old World Babblers.
Today is another addition to this list with the Near Threatened Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush inhabiting the beautiful hillsides of Bukit Fraser.
Bukit Fraser
One of my favourite destinations in Malaysia. Bukit Fraser or Fraser's Hill is a hill resort located on the Titiwangsa Ridge in the Raub District of Pahang, Malaysia. It is about 100 km, about a two hour drive, from the capital Kuala Lumpur and 400 km away from Singapore in the south. Known locally as Bukit Fraser, this quaint holiday retreat is popular for its nature activities and cool weather. It is one of the last hill stations of Malaysia carrying an imprint of its former British colonial masters very similar to some of the well known hill stations (winter capitals) of India.
Fraser's Hill is mountainous terrain where the altitude ranges between 320 m (1,050 ft) and 1,460 m (4,790 ft) above sea level. Around 44% of the terrain area is ranked as steep, while flat areas make up 8% of the overall land area. Fraser's Hill's virgin forest coverage is around 92% of the overall land area, with only 1.5% of the area used for a town. 6.5% of the forest area has been cleared for secondary vegetation. Ten river systems in Malaysia originate in Fraser's Hill, including Sungai Selangor, a major water source for the district of Selangor, & Sungai Teranum, which forms a major river system in eastern Pahang. The geology of the area is granite, which forms sandy, permeable soil and is easily eroded.
Fraser’s Hill has its roots in the 1890s, when Scottish prospector Louis James Fraser opened up a tin mining community known as Pamah Lebar. Mining activity there was short lived as the tin ore depleted by 1913. This led many miners & farmers to abandon the area and Fraser reportedly disappeared in 1910, but research in 2019 concluded that he retired from his position and returned to Great Britain in 1910. He died in 1916 while travelling in Austria-Hungary. An attempt in 1917 by Charles James Ferguson-Davie, the then bishop of Singapore, to locate Fraser in the area failed. While he searched for Fraser, Ferguson -Davie recognized the area's potential as a suitable location to set up a hill station and provided his suggestions to the high commissioner and chief secretary of the Federated Malay States. Its cool climate made Pamah Lebar an ideal retreat to escape from the usually hot climate in Malaysia and construction began in October 1919 to convert the mine area into a resort. The site was renamed Fraser's Hill and opened to visitors in 1922 and the erstwhile location of Fraser’s tin mine became the location of its golf course.
Subsequent development occurred in the 1970s in response to increased tourism activity. While this provided room for more visitors, it had an impact on the environment including deforestation and water pollution prompting a halt to further developments in April 2010. More species faced extinction and the water pollution affected the lives of the Orang Asli (first people) and residents in nearby villages. These issues led to the Pahang state government ruling out further development in the virgin forest at Fraser's Hill on 13 April 2010.
Fraser's Hill is known for its vast biodiversity which attracts scientists & researchers. In recent years, it has seen an increase in tourist activities including hiking, cycling, golfing, archery, riding, tennis, swimming and squash. With its tiny population of 1,000, as recorded in 2013, it is one of Malaysia’s most unexpectedly satisfying short-stay destinations. Navigating up the tight twists and turns of the road to this hill station is a stimulating experience – in fact the uphill road is so narrow that the final eight kilometre stretch is limited to one-way traffic at any time. The direction changes every hour; odd hours are for ascending the hill, while even hours have been denoted for descending traffic. With a majority of its buildings featuring mock Tudor-style architecture, Fraser’s Hill hasn’t changed much from its days as a British colonial hill resort. Besides the essential photo stop opportunity at Fraser’s Clocktower, a hard-to-miss clock tower which stands in the old English village square, you can head on down to Allen’s Water, a former reservoir turned into a boating and fishing attraction.
Akin to a tiny Scottish hamlet, Fraser’s Hill is one of Malaysia’s premier locations for bird-watching. Avid bird watchers can take advantage of the fact that Fraser’s Hill is home to over 250 species of birds – the Fraser’s Hill Development Corporation and the World Wildlife Fund both run classes and excursions to see the flora and wildlife of the hill station. What's more, the Fraser’s Hill International Bird Race – a contest to document the vast variety of birdlife on the mountainside – is typically held here in June. There are eight nature walk trails available ranging from easy to hard. For example the Maxwell Trail – a short and easy hike or the six-kilometre Pine Tree Trail – a longer trail that takes one past some dramatic views and ends near the 18 foot Jeriau Waterfall located about five kilo metres from the town centre. Fraser’s also plays host to the Royal Fraser’s Hill Golf Course – a nine-hole green that is one of Malaysia’s oldest. There’s also a paddock at the eastern edge of the course where one can saddle up for a horse riding session.
Read about my other birds from this beautiful hill station. These are only a few of the huge number I have spotted and recorded there.
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Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush
The Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus mitratus), also known as the spectacled laughingthrush, is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is a slate gray laughingthrush with a rusty-red crown and bright white arcs around the eyes. Also note orangish vent and bright white wing panel. A species of foothill and montane forest and forest edge. Often a component of mixed flocks, within which it typically moves in the lower and middle levels of forest. They are usually in flocks of 7-9 but also up to 15 birds in a social/foraging group. This species is one of the commonest participants of mixed foraging party (bird wave). Gives a repetitive whooping “nyehnyehnyehnyeh” as flocks move through the forest; also gives various churring and cackling calls.
It is found in Sumatra (Indonesia) and the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush was previously considered a subspecies.
The chestnut-capped laughingthrush was formerly placed in the genus Garrulax but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Pterorhinus.
This is another species which is under extreme pressure from trapping and harassment. The open availability of high-quality recordings of these species can make the problems even worse and therefore I do not have a recording here. This species has been uplisted to Near Threatened following evidence that demand for the cagebird trade is now is suspected to be driving a moderately rapid to rapid decline on Sumatra within the most recent three generations. Although the population in Thailand /Malaysia is not subject to the same threat, a moderately rapid population decline is nevertheless suspected to be taking place overall. The major threat to the bird is climate change & severe weather with habitat shifting & alteration.
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