Mesitornithidae – Mesites

The Mesitornithidae commonly called Mesites are a family of birds in the order Mesitornithiformes, which are part of a clade (Columbimorphae) that include Columbiformes and Pterocliformes. They are smallish, near flightless birds endemic to Madagascar. They are the only family with more than two species in which every species is threatened (all three are listed as vulnerable).

Enigmatic, and poorly known, the mesites are a group of songbird-sized non-passerines endemic to Madagascar. Mesites seldom fly, spending most of their time on or very near the ground. They have a long to very long tail with long and full coverts, which, together with their horizontal carriage, give the mesites a distinctive appearance in the field.

Subdesert Mesite Monias benschi – ©Dubi Shapiro

Birds of the nominate genus, Mesitornis, have a small round head that makes them look like doves; they are limited to declining rainforests, where they forage in the undergrowth and litter. Monias is like a long-legged, sharp-billed thrasher that walks through semi-arid spiny forest, giving a deep wag of the tail with nearly every step.

They are forest and scrubland birds that feed on insects and seeds. The Brown Mesite and White-breasted Mesite forage on the ground, gleaning insects from the leaves and under them, as well as low vegetation.

Brown Mesite Mesitornis unicolor – F©rancesco Veronesi CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Subdesert Mesite uses its long bill to probe in the soil. Other birds, such as drongos and flycatchers, will follow mesites to catch any insects they flush and miss.

White-breasted Mesite Mesitornis variegatus – ©Dubi Shapiro

Mesites are vocal birds, with calls similar to passerine song, used for territorial defence.

Two or three white eggs are laid in a stick-nest located in a bush or low branch. The Mesitornis species are monogamous; Monias benschi is polygamous and unlike the other two shows significant sexual dichromatism.