The Story
This is an Elliot’s Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron elliotii) that I photographed at Mati Temple (Mati Si) near Zhangye, Gansu, China on March 29, 2018. It is a laughingthrush of the family Leiothrichidae, found in central China and the far northeast of India. It lives in shrubs and in forests that mix coniferous and deciduous trees. IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. The Standing Buddha Hall at the North Temple is a large cave about 33 meters deep and 15 meters high. The highest cave at the North Temple, called the Thirty-Three Heavens, rises five tiers up the cliff, about 42 meters above the ground.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD PENTAX-D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6ED DC WR, at 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. Many caves here have been damaged over the centuries, which is why the site’s national protection matters.
©2018 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Elliot’s Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron elliotii) belongs to the family Leiothrichidae (Laughingthrushes and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List
