The red-tailed laughingthrush (Trochalopteron milnei) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...

Red-tailed laughingthrush
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Leiothrichidae
Genus:	Trochalopteron
Species:	T. milnei
Binomial name
Trochalopteron milnei David, 1874
Synonyms
Garrulax milnei (David, 1874)

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Subspecies include:^[2][3][4]

• Trochalopteron milnei milnei David, 1874 (NW Fujian, in SE China)
• Trochalopteron milnei sharpei Rippon, 1901 (N & E Myanmar, NW Thailand, N & C Laos, NW Vietnam, and S. China (W, S & SE Yunnan, W Guangxi).
• Trochalopteron milnei sinianum Stresemann, 1930 (SE China (SE Sichuan, N Guizhou, C & NE Guangxi, S. Hunan, N. Guangdong).
• Trochalopteron milnei vitryi (Delacour, 1932) (S. Laos, Vietnam)

Trochalopteron milnei can reach a body length of about 26–28 cm (10–11 in) and a weight of about 66–93 g (2.3–3.3 oz). These medium-sized laughingthrushes are dull ochrous-grey, with a bright rufous-chestnut crown and a blackish face, with whitish ear-coverts. Wings and tail are crimson.^[3]

This species can be found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.^[2] These birds mainly inhabit the understorey of broadleaf evergreen forests,^[3]

They are strictly montane, usually living at an elevation of 1,800–2,500 metres (5,900–8,200 ft) above sea level.^[5]

This species mainly feeds on insects and small arthropods (beetles, centipedes, etc.), but also on berries and fruits (especially of Saurauja species). The breeding season lasts from April to June. The nest is made by both males and females and consists of a tidy cup mainly made of grasses and bamboo leaves.^[3] It is built at about 1 m above the ground level. Females lay 2-3 eggs, that are incubated for 17–18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and leave the nest in 14–16 days.