During our three weeks of birding in Singapore in March we were surprised that we did not encounter White-crested Laughingthrush – Garrulax leucolophus more often. The habitat often appeared to be ideal, but they were not as common as we had expected. The White-crested Laughingthrush is actually an introduced species and our first encounter was in the Southern Ridges. We had taken a trail down from the main path in Kent Park to a shelter to discover several bird species in the area including the White-crested Laughingthrush.
The first place we noticed the White-crested Laughingthrush was on the shelter roof. The bird was really throwing the leaves around in all directions and after taking a few photos we sat and watched their antics around the shelter. The shelter was in a small clearing and we were alone in the area apart from the birds.
White-crested Laughingthrush on the shelter roof
The White-crested Laughingthrush on the ground hopped about throwing leaves around too. They were searching for food and there was a family group of eight birds. They reminded us of our Grey-crowned Babblers at home in Broome! They also move around in groups of eight and bounce around among the vegetation.
White-crested Laughingthrush in the leaf litter
We also had good views of a White-crested Laughingthrush on the railing around the small clearing near the shelter.
White-crested Laughingthrush
As is often the case, we soon discovered the White-crested Laughingthrush were not alone in this clearing. We had Common Flamebacks and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos to keep us company while we had our lunch in the forest.
If you are heading to Singapore in search of White-crested Laughingthrush it appears that Kent Ridge Park is one of the more reliable places to go looking for them.
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