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Mesia
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Illustration of a silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris), a small bird with gray wings, yellow and orange markings, a white patch near its ear, and a black cap, perched on a branch.
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Also called:
Silver-eared Mesia, or Silver-ear
Related Topics:
Leiothrix
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Illustration of a silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris), a small bird with gray wings, yellow and orange markings, a white patch near its ear, and a black cap, perched on a branch.
Silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris)

Mesia

bird
Also known as: Leiothrix argentauris, silver-ear, silver-eared mesia(Show More)
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Mesia, (species Leiothrix argentauris), songbird of the babbler family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes). It is found from Pakistan through the Indochinese peninsula in scrub and secondary jungle. This 15-centimetre- (6-inch-) long bird is olive above and yellow below, with a black crown, silver ear patches, and some crimson on the tail. In groups of 6 to 30 it travels about the forest bushes and canopy seeking berries and peering under leaves for insects. Four eggs are laid in a cup-shaped nest. The mesia has a sweet, whistling song and is sometimes kept as a cage bird.