Mesites

Mesites belong to their own family, Mesitornithidae, and are closely related to doves, pigeons, and sandgrouse. They are endemic to Madagascar and have a conservation status of vulnerable for all three species in the family. Mesites are primarily ground-dwelling birds that feed on insects and seeds, with the brown and white-breasted species foraging among leaves and low vegetation, while the subdesert mesite probes the soil with its long bill. They can be seen followed by other insect-eating birds, who take advantage of the mesites' foraging. These vocally active birds use their calls for territorial defense and lay two to three white eggs in a stick-nest within a bush or on a low branch. In terms of mating systems, the two species in the genus Mesitornis are monogamous, while the subdesert mesite, Monias benschi, is polygamous and exhibits noticeable differences between males and females. Historically, the exact evolutionary relationships of mesites were uncertain, but recent phylogenomic studies have provided evidence suggesting that mesites are most closely related to sandgrouse, while some studies include this group with doves and cuckoos. There are two genera within the family: Mesitornis with two species, and Monias, which includes just the subdesert mesite.