Breeding Biology of the Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush(Garrulax sukatschewi)

摘要

Breeding of the poorly known Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush (Garrulax sukatschewi) was studied in a conifer-dominated forest at Lianhuashan (southern Gansu), China. Snowy-cheeked Laughing-thrushes nested at sites with fewer conifers and denser shrubs compared with the available vegetation. Bowl-shaped nests were 2.4 ± 0.1 m (-x ± SE, n = 31) above ground in six plant species. Spruce (Picea spp.) was used (74%) more often than expected based on availability at nest sites. The breeding season (early May to mid Jul) was shorter than for other timaliids. Twelve of 20 (60%) nests with known outcomes were successful. The average clutch size was 3.5 ± 0.2 eggs (2-5, n = 21) with 2.7 ± 0.2 hatchlings (2-4, n = 15) and 2.2 ± 0.2 fledglings (1-3, n = 12) per nest. Incubation was by both males and females and lasted 14 days (n = 1); both parents cared for the nestlings for 16-18 days (n = 3).