Mesitornithidae – Mesites
Smallish flightless birds are only found in Madagascar, all 3 species are threatened
This family includes the white-breasted mesite, the brown mesite, and the sub-desert mesite. All three species are endemic to Madagascar – which means they aren’t found anywhere else in the world.
Although endemic to the same country, their habitats vary. The sub-desert species lives in dry, deciduous spiny forests, the brown in undisturbed primary, evergreen, humid forests, and the white-breasted in deciduous forests near rivers. Mesites are ground-dwelling birds that forage for seeds and insects under leaves and litter on the forest floor.
The IUCN red species list has classified all three species as Vulnerable.
Genera in this family
The elusive birds in this genus are found exclusively in Madagascar
As its name implies, this species is adapted to the thorny desert thickets along the southwest coast of Madagascar
