| Melanocichla | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Timaliidae |
| Genus: | Melanocichla Sharpe, 1883 |
| Type species | |
| Timalia lugubris (black laughingthrush) S. Müller, 1835 | |
| Species | |
see text | |
Melanocichla is a genus of birds in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae.
The genus Melanocichla was introduced in 1883 by the English ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe to accommodate a single species, the black laughingthrush, which is therefore the type species of the genus. [1] [2] The name combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with kikhlkikhlē meaning "thrush". [3]
A 2019 molecular phylogenetic study found that the genus Melanocichla was sister to the genus Pomatorhinus containing the scimitar babblers. [4]
The genus contains the following species: [5]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Black laughingthrush | Melanocichla lugubris | extreme south Thailand, Malaysia and Sumatra |
| | Bare-headed laughingthrush | Melanocichla calva | Borneo |