Asities

Asities, belonging to the Philepittidae family, are unique birds only found in the forests of Madagascar, consisting of four species divided into two genera. They are small, exhibit sexual dimorphism with males showcasing vividly colored eye wattles derived from special collagen fibers—a unique trait among animals. These birds have a variety of interesting physical characteristics, including a short tail, a specially encased syrinx, and a forked tongue suited for nectar consumption, with the Neodrepanis species also being known for their long outer primary feathers that buzz during flight. Asities are vital seed dispersers due to their primarily frugivorous diet, although they also consume insects and, in the case of the sunbird-asities, nectar. They breed in the Malagasy rainforest during the rainy season, exhibiting varied breeding behaviors such as polygyny and unique nest construction with entrances created post-building. The yellow-bellied sunbird-asity is currently considered vulnerable, and habitat loss threatens its population, along with Schlegel's asity, which is near threatened. Taxonomically, asities have been debated, at times placed within the broadbill family but are traditionally considered a distinct family, with speculations of relations to the South American sapayoa, now classified in its own family. The four species are the velvet asity (Philepitta castanea), Schlegel's asity (Philepitta schlegeli), common sunbird-asity (Neodrepanis coruscans), and the yellow-bellied sunbird-asity (Neodrepanis hypoxanthus).