Trochalopteron fairbanki
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Palani laughingthrush (Montecincla fairbanki) is a species of laughingthrush endemic to the hills of the Western Ghats south of the Palghat Gap in Southern India. Found in the high montane forests, this grey bibbed, rufous bellied bird with a prominent dark eyestripe and broad white brow was grouped along with the grey-breasted subspecies of the black-chinned laughingthrush and known as the grey-breasted laughingthrush. This species is found in the Palni Hills while another closely related form, the Ashambu laughingthrush (Montecincla meridionalis) with a shorter white brow is found in the high hills south of the Achankovil Gap and was treated as a subspecies. The two forms were together formerly treated as the Kerala laughingthrush.
This species has a dark grey-brown crown and narrow dark grey eyestripe with a broad white supercilium above it. This supercilium extends behind the eye in this species but stops above the eye in the closely related meridionalis. The throat is distinctly grey unlike in the black-chinned laughingthrushes found north of the Palghat Gap and continues into the upper breast. The grey of the upper breast is faintly streaked in brown. The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Palani Laughingthrush sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 211th most-seen of the 227 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Palani Laughingthrush in Periyar National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Palani Laughingthrush sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Palani Laughingthrush sightings, Periyar National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Eravikulam National Park (India, about 90%).
Same family: Leiothrichidae
The closest relatives of the Palani Laughingthrush that you can see in Periyar National Park (family Leiothrichidae, Laughingthrushes and Allies) are Jungle Babbler (about 50%), Rufous Babbler (about 20%) and Wynaad Laughingthrush (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Palani Laughingthrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Periyar National Park (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
