Breeding of the Giant Laughingthrush (Garrulax maximus) at Lianhuashan, Southern Gansu, China

Abstract We describe the nest sites, nests, eggs, and incubation and provisioning behavior of the endemic Giant Laughingthrush (Garrulax maximus) in a coniferous forest (2,850–2,950 m asl) at Lianhuashan, southern Gansu, central China. We found seven shallow bowl-shaped nests in Picea-Abies trees, 4.0 ± 1.5 m (x¯ ± SD, n  =  7) above the ground during May and June 2003, 2007, and 2008. Clutch size was 2.2 ± 0.4 unspotted blue eggs (2–3, n  =  6) of which 1.4 ± 0.5 nestlings hatched (1–2, n  =  7), and 1.0 ± 1.0 young fledged (0–2, n  =  7). Three nests failed, possibly due to predation or abandonment during prolonged rainfall. Both males and females incubated clutches; nest attentiveness during the day decreased from 92.6 ± 0.9% before hatching to 59.4 ± 1.5% during days 3–7 of the nestling period. Both parents fed the nestlings (1.0 ± 1.0 times/hr) and consumed the feces (0.3 ± 0.5 times/hr) during the 7–15 days after hatching