''Montecincla'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
birds in the family
Leiothrichidae
The laughingthrushes are a family, Leiothrichidae, of Old World passerine birds. They are diverse in size and coloration. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The entire fam ...
. All four species in this genus are
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to “sky islands” in the
Western Ghats mountain range of southwestern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, generally above 1,200m elevation.
Species
The genus contains the following species:
*
Nilgiri laughingthrush, ''Montecincla cachinnans''
*
Palani laughingthrush
The Palani laughingthrush (''Montecincla fairbanki'') is a species of laughingthrush endemic to the hills of the Western Ghats south of the Palghat Gap in Southern India. Found in the high montane forests, this grey bibbed, rufous bellied bir ...
, ''Montecincla fairbanki''
*
Banasura laughingthrush, ''Montecincla jerdoni''
*
Ashambu laughingthrush, ''Montecincla meridionalis''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q29510058
Bird genera
Leiothrichidae