''Garrulax'' is a genus of passerine birds in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Garrulax'' was erected by the French naturalist

René Lesson René-Primevère Lesson (20 March 1794 – 28 April 1849) was a French surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist. Biography Lesson was born at Rochefort, and entered the Naval Medical School in Rochefort at the age of sixteen. He ...

in 1831. The type species was designated in 1961 as the rufous-fronted laughingthrush (''Garrulax rufifrons''). The genus previously included more species. Following the publication of a comprehensive

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study in 2018, ''Garrulax '' was split up and species were moved to the resurrected genera ''

Ianthocincla ''Ianthocincla'' is a genus of passerine birds in the family Leiothrichidae. Taxonomy The genus ''Ianthocincla'' was erected by English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in 1835 with the spotted laughingthrush as the type species. The nam ...

'' and '' Pterorhinus''. ''Garrulax'' species are heavily traded as songbirds. A survey of eight bird markets in Indonesia, carried out in 2014–2015, found 615 laughingthrushes of nine species openly for sale. Much of the trade in these species in Indonesia is illegal and is pushing a number of these species towards extinction. The Sumatran Laughingthrush, for example, is in serious decline due to ongoing and uncontrolled illegal trade in bird markets on the islands of Java and Sumatra, and is increasingly found in international trade, though in lower numbers.

Species

The genus contains the following 14 species:

References

* Collar, N. J. & Robson C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70 – 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. ''

Handbook of the Birds of the World The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...

'', Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. {{Taxonbar, from=Q644294 Bird genera Leiothrichidae Taxa named by René Lesson