Mesite Explained
The mesites (Mesitornithidae) are a family of birds that are part of a clade (Columbimorphae) that include Columbiformes and Pterocliformes.[1] They are smallish flightless or near flightless birds endemic to Madagascar. They are the only family with more than two species in which every species is threatened (all three are listed as vulnerable).
Description
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 a passerine song, 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.[2] The Mesitornis species are monogamous[3] while Monias benschi is polygamous and, unlike the other two, shows significant sexual dichromatism.
Systematics
There are two genera, Mesitornis (2 species) and Monias (subdesert mesite).[4] [5]
| Image | Genus | Species |
|---|
| Monias Oustalet & Grandidier, 1903 |
|
| Mesitornis Bonaparte, 1855 [''Mesites'' <small>Geoffroy, 1838 non Schoenherr, 1838</small>; ''Mesoenas'' <small>Reichenbach, 1861</small>] |
|
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Historically, mesites' phylogenetic relationships were not very clear; they have been allied with the Gruiformes,[6] Turniciformes[7] and Columbiformes.[8]
Recent phylogenomic studies support Pterocliformes (sandgrouse) as the sister group of mesites[1] [9] [10] while some more recent studies place this clade with another clade constituted of Columbiformes and Cuculiformes (cuckoos).
Notes and References
- Jarvis . E.D. . etal . 2014 . Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds . Science . 346 . 6215. 1320–1331 . 10.1126/science.1253451 . 25504713 . 4405904. 2014Sci...346.1320J .
- Book: Forshaw, Joseph. Archibald, George W.. 1991. Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. Merehurst Press. London. 100–101. 978-1-85391-186-6.
- Delayed juvenile dispersal and monogamy, but no cooperative breeding in white-breasted mesites (Mesitornis variegatus). 10.1007/s00265-013-1624-4. 2014. Gamero. Anna. Székely. Tamás. Kappeler. Peter M.. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 68. 73–83. 17145658.
- [IOC World Bird List]
- Collection of genus-group names in a systematic arrangement . Part 7- Vertebrates . etal . 30 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161005114629/http://mave.tweakdsl.nl/tn/genera7.html . 5 October 2016 . dead .
- Book: Sibley, Charles . Charles Sibley . Jon Edward Ahlquist . 1990 . Phylogeny and classification of birds . New Haven . Yale University Press . 0-300-04085-7. Jon Edward Ahlquist .
- January 2007 . Higher-order phylogeny of modern birds (Theropoda, Aves: Neornithes) based on comparative anatomy. II. Analysis and discussion . . 149 . 1 . 1–95 . 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00293.x . 18784798 . Livezey . Bradley C. . Zusi . RL . 2517308.
- A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History . 10.1126/science.1157704 . 2008 . Hackett . Shannon J. . Kimball . Rebecca T. . Reddy . Sushma . Bowie . Rauri C. K. . Braun . Edward L. . Braun . Michael J. . Chojnowski . Jena L. . Cox . W. Andrew . Han . Kin-Lan . Harshman . John . Huddleston . Christopher J. . Marks . Ben D. . Miglia . Kathleen J. . Moore . William S. . Sheldon . Frederick H. . Steadman . David W. . Witt . Christopher C. . Yuri . Tamaki . Science . 320 . 5884 . 1763–1768 . 18583609 . 2008Sci...320.1763H . 6472805 .
- Fain, Matthew G. . Houde, Peter . 2004 . Parallel radiations in the primary clades of birds . . 58 . 11 . 2558–2573 . 10.1554/04-235 . 15612298 . 1296408 .
- Yuri . T.. 2013 . Parsimony and Model-Based Analyses of Indels in Avian Nuclear Genes Reveal Congruent and Incongruent Phylogenetic Signals . Biology . 2 . 1. 419–444 . 10.3390/biology2010419 . etal . 24832669 . 4009869. free.
