Leiothrix argentauris
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) is a species of bird from South East Asia. 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... Wikipedia →
Recording0:44
Vietnam · 2025
© Next Continent: Wildlife, Photography and Natural History Tours · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:04
Hong Kong SAR China · 2019
© johnallcock · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:12
Macao SAR China · 2025
© Miles 小智 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 4 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhuhai [Macau] | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vinpearl Safari | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Beijing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-eared Mesia sighting in Zhuhai [Macau] on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 31st most-seen of the 48 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-eared Mesia in Zhuhai [Macau] on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–May and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Zhuhai [Macau]'s driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 290 mm in June.
Between 1 and 4 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver-eared Mesia sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Silver-eared Mesia sightings, Zhuhai [Macau] has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Hong Kong (China, under 5%) and Tuen Mun (China, under 5%).
Same family: Leiothrichidae
The closest relatives of the Silver-eared Mesia that you can see in Zhuhai [Macau] (family Leiothrichidae, Laughingthrushes and Allies) are Masked Laughingthrush (about 20%) and Chinese Hwamei (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver-eared Mesia is recorded against all the birds logged in Zhuhai [Macau] (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
