A Stunning Bird That Wears Its Autumnal Colors With Pride – The Silver-eared Mesia!
IT IS MORE OR LESS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, COVERED IN RADIANT COLORS.
However, with autumn having come and gone, one stunning bird, in particular, caught our eye with its own autumnal radiant glow.
The silver-eared Mesia’s (Leiothrix argentauris) colors certainly bring the fall season to mind. Especially, when you see their gold, red, and muted greens. They are found throughout southern Asia, mostly in Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos. They can also be found in the tropical forests of southern China, sometimes making the trip down to India during winter.
Like most animals, these birds also differ in their looks between their genders. Males have throats that are red-orange while females are yellow. The color patterns can also shift in their backs, with the colors varying between grey or olive, and the ratio of gray to red in the wings.
Due to the pattern variations, researchers currently consider there to be at least seven subspecies of the silver-eared meisa, but they are still learning more about what might make each subspecies distinctive.
