Mesite
Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox
The mesites (Mesitornithidae) are a family of birds that are part of a clade (Columbimorphae) that include Columbiformes and Pterocliformes.<ref name=Jarvis2014>Template:Cite journal</ref> They are somewhat small-bodied, flightless or near flightless birds endemic to Madagascar. All the species of this clade are listed as vulnerable.
DescriptionEdit
The mesites are forest and scrubland birds that feed on insects and seeds; brown and white-breasted mesites forage on the ground, gleaning insects from underneath leaves as well as low vegetation. 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 out or miss. Mesites are vocal birds, with calls similar to that of a passerine's song, which are used for territorial defence. Two or three white eggs are laid in a stick-built nest located in a bush or on a low branch.<ref name=EoB>Template:Cite book</ref> The Mesitornis species are monogamous<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> while Monias benschi is polygamous and, unlike the other two, shows significant sexual dichromatism.
SystematicsEdit
There are two genera, Mesitornis (2 species) and Monias (subdesert mesite).<ref>IOC World Bird List v6.3 [1]. {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
| Image | Genus | Species |
|---|---|---|
| File:Subdesert Mesite.jpg | Monias Oustalet & Grandidier, 1903 |
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| File:White-breasted Mesite - Ankarafantsika - Madagascar S4E9441 (15297364032).jpg | Mesitornis Bonaparte, 1855 [Mesites Geoffroy, 1838 non Schoenherr, 1838; Mesoenas Reichenbach, 1861] |
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Historically, mesites' phylogenetic relationships were not very clear; they have been allied (claded) with the Gruiformes,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Turniciformes<ref name="Theropoda">Template:Cite journal</ref> and Columbiformes.<ref name=Hackett>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Some phylogenomic studies support Pterocliformes (sandgrouse) as the sister group of mesites<ref name=Jarvis2014/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> while others place this clade with another clade constituted of Columbiformes and Cuculiformes (cuckoos).<ref name="kuhl2020">H Kuhl, C Frankl-Vilches, A Bakker, G Mayr, G Nikolaus, S T Boerno, S Klages, B Timmermann, M Gahr (2020) An unbiased molecular approach using 3’UTRs resolves the avian family-level tree of life. Molecular Biology and Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa191</ref>