>ShortDescBot at 20:01, 14 March 2021

2021-03-14T20:01:01Z

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{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = TrochalopteronJerdoniSmit.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =
| taxon = Montecincla jerdoni
| authority = ([[Edward Blyth|Blyth]], 1851)
| synonyms =
''Montecincla cachinnans jerdoni''
}}

The '''Banasura laughingthrush''' (''Montecincla jerdoni'') is a species of [[bird]] in the family [[Leiothrichidae]]. It is found in [[shola]] habitat in a small section of the [[Western Ghats]] in southwestern [[Karnataka]] and northern [[Kerala]]. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the [[black-chinned laughingthrush]].

==Taxonomy==

The Banasura laughingthrush was described by [[zoologist]] [[Edward Blyth]] in 1851, based on a [[type specimen]] collected at [[Banasura Hill]] in modern-day [[Kerala]] by [[Thomas Jerdon]].<ref>Blyth, E. (1851). Notice of a collection of Mammalia, birds, and reptiles, procured at or near the station of Chérra Punji in the Khásia Hills, north of Sylhet. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal XX (Part II): 517–524.</ref> Blythe originally placed it in the [[genus]] ''[[Garrulax]]''. After a period of taxonomic reorganization, the species, along with the [[Palani laughingthrush]] and the [[Ashambu laughingthrush]], was placed in the genus ''[[Montecincla]]'', in which it remains today.

The Banasura laughingthrush was formerly treated as conspecific with the [[Nilgiri laughingthrush]], and was known as the black-chinned laughingthrush. However, morphological and geographic analysis revealed that the Banasura and Nilgiri laughingthrushes were better treated as different species entirely, due to apparent [[allopatric speciation]],<ref name="allopatry">Praveen, J., and P. O. Nameer (2013). Strophocincla laughingthrushes of south India: a case for allopatric speciation and impact on their conservation. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 109(1–2): 46–52.</ref> and the Banasura laughingthrush was consequently awarded full species status in 2015.<ref>del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Passerines. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.</ref> Later genetic analysis corroborated the validity of the split.<ref name="Robin">Robin, V. V., C. K. Vishnudas, P. Gupta, F. E. Rheindt, D. M. Hooper, U. Ramakrishnan, and S. Reddy (2017). Two new genera of songbirds represent endemic radiations from the Shola Sky Islands of the Western Ghats, India. BMC Evolutionary Biology 17: 31.</ref>

The Banasura laughingthrush is genetically most closely related to the Nilgiri laughingthrush, and the two species are estimated to have diverged about 330,000 years before the present.<ref name="Robin"/>

==Description==
[[File:Banasura Chilappan, Montecincla jerdoni.jpg|thumb|Banasura laughingthrush in [[Wayanad]]]]
The Banasura laughingthrush is a medium-sized [[songbird]], ranging between 203 and 230 cm in length, and between 36 and 52 g in mass. Adults have a black face and throat; white [[supercilium|supercilia]]; a gray breast, cheeks, and back; an ochre belly; and olive back, wings, and tail. Additionally, adults have a black bill, crimson [[Iris (anatomy)|irises]], and brownish legs. It is distinguished from the Nilgiri laughingthrush by its gray breast, and from the Palani and Ashambu laughingthrushes by its black chin. The sexes are indistinguishable in plumage.<ref name="BNA">Praveen J. (2020). Banasura Laughingthrush (Montecincla jerdoni), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, B. K. Keeney, and S. M. Billerman, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bkclau1.02</ref>

While the Banasura laughingthrush is extremely similar in appearance to other species within ''Montecincla'', it is the only species of its genus found within its range, making identification straightforward.

==Distribution and habitat==

The Banasura laughingthrush has an extremely restricted range. It is endemic to a small series of [[sky islands]] in the [[Western Ghats]] in [[South India]], between the [[Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka|Brahmagiri Hills]] of [[Kodagu]] in the north and [[Vavul Mala]] in [[Kerala]] in the south. Within this range, fragmented populations are found at [[Banasura Hill]] in [[Wayanad]], [[Chembra Peak]], and [[Vellarimala]].<ref name="BNA"/>

The Banasura laughingthrush is primarily found in [[shola]] habitat between 1,400 and 2,400 meters in elevation.

==Behavior and ecology==

The Banasura laughingthrush forages in the shola midstory and lower canopy by hopping among branches, feeding primarily on fruits and insects. Individual birds are fairly sedentary, and do not regularly travel between sholas.<ref name="BNA"/>

Like other ''Montecincla'' laughingthrushes, the Banasura laughingthrush is highly vocal. The most typical song type is a series of 3 to 6 loud, nasally whistles, but this song is highly variable, with various 2, 3, 4, and 6-note songs being well documented. While the Banasura laughingthrush's song cannot always be distinguished from that of the Nilgiri laughingthrush, analyses have shown the Banasura laughingthrush's song to be generally higher in complexity than any of the other ''Montecincla'' laughingthrushes.<ref name="Robin"/>
==Conservation==

Due to its extremely small range of under 57 km², the population of the Banasura laughingthrush is estimated at only around 500-2,500 adults.<ref name="allopatry"/>The Banasura laughingthrush's range is also highly fragmented, rendering the species even more vulnerable to declines due to habitat loss and degradation. Due to its small population size and range, the species is ranked by the [[IUCN]] as Endangered.<ref>BirdLife International (2020). Species factsheet: Montecincla jerdoni.</ref>

The Carmel Hump Mountains [[Important Bird Area]] was designated specifically to protect crucial habitat for the Banasura laughingthrush.
==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q27986834}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:laughingthrush, Banasura}}
[[Category:Montecincla|Banasura laughingthrush]]
[[Category:Birds of South India]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1851|Banasura laughingthrush]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Edward Blyth|Banasura laughingthrush]]

Banasura laughingthrush - Revision history

>ShortDescBot at 20:01, 14 March 2021