NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red-winged Laughingthrush
Trochalopteron formosum J. Verreaux, 1869
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The red-winged laughingthrush (Trochalopteron formosum) is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae.
The plumage is mostly brown with large areas of red in the wings and tail. The crown and ear-coverts are grey with dark streaks and the throat is dark. The bill and feet are blackish. It has a loud, whistling song and is 27 to 28 centimetres (11 inches) long. The red-tailed laughingthrush is similar but has a rufous crown and greyer back and breast.
It is found in south-west China (Sichuan, Yunnan and Guangxi provinces) and north-west Vietnam. It inhabits forest, secondary growth, scrub and bamboo from 900 to 3,000 metres (2,950 to 9,840 ft) above sea level. It is an elusive bird which travels in pairs or small groups in dense cover near the forest floor. Little is known about its reproductive habits but in China breeding takes place during June and July.
Wikipedia contributors, Red-winged laughingthrush; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:02:31.684687+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Trochalopteron formosum J. Verreaux, 1869
- Name authority
- J. Verreaux, 1869
- Common name
- Red-winged Laughingthrush
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Leiothrichidae
- Genus
- Trochalopteron
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyLeiothrichidae Swainson, 1832
- genusTrochalopteron Blyth, 1843
- speciesTrochalopteron formosum J. Verreaux, 1869
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Trochalopteron. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black-faced LaughingthrushTrochalopteron affine (Blyth, 1843) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Assam LaughingthrushTrochalopteron chrysopterum (Gould, 1835) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Elliot's LaughingthrushTrochalopteron elliotii J. Verreaux, 1871 | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chestnut-crowned LaughingthrushTrochalopteron erythrocephalum (Vigors, 1832) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown-cheeked LaughingthrushTrochalopteron henrici Oustalet, 1892 | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bhutan LaughingthrushTrochalopteron imbricatum (Blyth, 1843) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Streaked LaughingthrushTrochalopteron lineatum (Vigors, 1831) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scaly LaughingthrushTrochalopteron subunicolor Blyth, 1843 | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Striped LaughingthrushTrochalopteron virgatum Godwin-Austen, 1874 | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Collared LaughingthrushTrochalopteron yersini Robinson & Kloss, 1919 | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-winged LaughingthrushTrochalopteron squamatum (Gould, 1835) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown-capped LaughingthrushTrochalopteron austeni Godwin-Austen, 1870 | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Garrulax formosus (J. Verreaux, 1869) (J. Verreaux, 1869) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Verreaux, & Jules Pierre. (1869). Notes Sur Quelques Oiseaux Considérés Comme Nouveaux Provenant du Voyage de M. L’abbé Armand David Dans le Thibet Oriental. Nouvelles Archives Du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris, Bulletin, Vol. 5. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:596H5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.