Editing Mesite (section)

== Description ==
The mesites are [[forest]] and [[scrubland]] birds that [[Insectivore|feed on insects]] and [[Seed predation|seeds]]; brown and white-breasted mesites [[Foraging|forage]] on the ground, gleaning insects from underneath [[leaf litter|leaves]] as well as low vegetation. The subdesert mesite uses its long bill to probe in the soil. Other birds, such as [[drongo]]s and [[Old World flycatcher|flycatcher]]s, will follow mesites to catch any insects they flush out or miss. Mesites are vocal birds, with [[Bird vocalization|calls]] similar to that of a [[passerine]]'s song, which are used for [[Territory (animal)|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>{{cite book |editor=Forshaw, Joseph|author= Archibald, George W.|year=1991|title=Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds|publisher= Merehurst Press|location=London|pages= 100–101|isbn= 978-1-85391-186-6}}</ref> The ''Mesitornis'' species are [[Monogamy in animals|monogamous]]<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-013-1624-4|doi = 10.1007/s00265-013-1624-4|title = Delayed juvenile dispersal and monogamy, but no cooperative breeding in white-breasted mesites (Mesitornis variegatus)|year = 2014|last1 = Gamero|first1 = Anna|last2 = Székely|first2 = Tamás|last3 = Kappeler|first3 = Peter M.|journal = Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology|volume = 68|pages = 73–83|s2cid = 17145658|url-access = subscription}}</ref> while ''Monias benschi'' is [[Animal sexual behaviour#Polygamy|polygamous]] and, unlike the other two, shows significant [[sexual dichromatism]].