Silver-eared Mesia
A species of Leiothrix and Mesia Scientific name : Leiothrix argentauris Genus : Leiothrix and Mesia
Silver-eared Mesia, A species of Leiothrix and Mesia
Botanical name: Leiothrix argentauris
Genus: Leiothrix and Mesia
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Lip Kee Yap , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
Size
17 cm
Feeding Habits
Silver-eared Mesia's diet primarily includes insects, larvae, and fruit, with occasional seeds. They forage in groups, sometimes forming mixed-species flocks, and feed from ground level up to 5 meters high.
Habitat
The silver-eared Mesia resides in various forested environments including broadleaf evergreen, pine, and mixed forests, often utilizing the bushes, undergrowth, and middle storeys. They also inhabit forest edges, secondary growth, and scrub areas. A common feature of their habitat is natural clearings within largely intact forests, and they may also be found in abandoned agricultural lands and bamboo thickets. They show a preference for regions with forested landscapes over more open or degraded areas.
Dite type
Frugivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The species was once placed in the large Old World babbler family Timaliidae, but that family has recently been split with this species being placed with the laughingthrushes in the new family Leiothrichidae. The species is sometimes placed in its own genus Mesia, or in the genus Leiothrix with the red-billed leiothrix. There are seven described subspecies, with considerable variation in plumage between them. Further research is needed to establish if this represents a single species or not. The subspecies and their distributions are: M argentauris argentauris (Hodgson, 1837) - Northern and eastern India, Bhutan, northern Burma and southern China. M argentauris galbana (Mayr & Greenway, 1938) - Southern Burma and northern Thailand M argentauris ricketti (La Touche, 1923) - China (Yunnan, Guixhou & Guangxi), and northern Laos and Vietnam. M argentauris cunhaci (Robinson & Kloss, 1919) - Southern Laos & Vietnam, Cambodia. M argentauris tahanensis (Yen Kwokyung, 1934) - Southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. M argentauris rookmakeri (Junge, 1948) - Northern Sumatra. M argentauris laurinae (Salvadori, 1879) - Southern Sumatra. The species is generally resident although it has been reported as a winter migrant to Nameri National Park in Assam, India, which implies that the species may be an altitudinal migrant. The species has been introduced to Hong Kong from captive stock derived from caged birds. 
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Laughingthrushes Genus
Leiothrix and Mesia Species
Silver-eared Mesia 
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