Silver-eared mesia
Age
The silver-eared mesia typically lives from 12 years and 5 months to 20 years and 8 months, although the maximum recorded lifespan is 12 years; the species reaches sexual maturity from 1 month and 2 weeks to 2 months of age. The embryo develops inside an egg, receiving nourishment from the yolk and growing until hatching. The young bird remains in the nest, where parents feed it insects until it is fully feathered and learns to fly, a stage lasting from 1 week and 6 days to 2 weeks and 2 days. Following this, the young bird after rapid growth follows its parents, learns to find food, and gradually acquires adult plumage, a period of 2 to 10 months. The adult silver-eared leiothrix is capable of reproduction, exhibits bright plumage, actively sings, and defends its territory, living for 1 to 8 years.
Phenotype
The silver-eared mesia has short, strong orange beaks that aid in catching insects and plucking berries, and the species possesses thin legs enabling it to cling to slender branches; young birds have short beaks which parents fill with food, and their bodies are covered in soft down in the first days of life. After a period of rapid growth, the plumage of the young is not as vibrant as that of adults, with the silver ear patches only just forming. Adult silver-eared mesias display black heads, bright silvery ear patches, an olive-green back, a yellow throat and chest, and red spots on the wings. The species also has short, rounded wings that allow for quick flights between bushes; adult birds have two wings.
Physiology
The silver-eared leiothrix measures from 15 to 18 centimeters in body length and weighs from 52.8 to 82.5 grams; the embryo stage has a body mass of from 2.5 to 3.5 grams and a body length of from 1.8 to 2.2 centimeters, while the nestling stage exhibits a body mass of from 3 to 18 grams and a body length of from 5 to 10 centimeters. The young after rapid growth have a body mass of from 18 to 24 grams and a body length of from 13 to 16 centimeters, whereas the adult silver-eared leiothrix has a body mass of from 20 to 28 grams and a body length of from 15 to 18 centimeters.
Habitat
The silver-eared mesia inhabits elevations from 600 meters to 2.5 kilometers above sea level, and its habitat consists of terrestrial forests. The species occupies mixed temperate forests with summers that are warm and feature many oak, birch, and maple trees, as well as tropical moist forests characterized by consistently hot and humid conditions, with large trees and vines. The climate features little precipitation in winter, with more rain during summer; the summers are very hot, exceeding 25 to 30 degrees Celsius; winters are warm and nearly devoid of precipitation, and are both dry and warm.
Shelter
The silver-eared mesia inhabits dense thickets or at a low height within trees. The species builds or utilizes a nest structure for laying eggs and raising young. This nest is constructed from small twigs, moss, and grass.
Geography
The silver-eared mesia is found within the Indomalaya, Australasia, and Palearctic biogeographical realms; the species inhabits mountainous rainforests of the Southwestern Ghats and the rainforests of West Java.
Feeding
The silver-eared leiothrix consumes insects, spiders, fruits, berries, and nectar, searching for food in tree canopies, shrubs, and on the ground; the species gathers food from leaves and branches using a search and foraging strategy, and its daily food intake ranges from 15 to 30 grams. The diet includes beetles, butterflies, flies, Hymenoptera, bedbugs, Orthoptera, dragonflies, mayflies, and lacewings.
Reproduction
A silver-eared mesia reaches maturity from 11 months to 1 year and 1 month; a litter consists of 2 to 4 young, and the male and female construct the nest together. The female lays the eggs, and both parents take turns incubating them and feeding the hatched chicks. The reproductive interval for the species is 1 year.