The subdesert mesite (''Monias benschi'') is a ground-dwelling

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Madagascar. It is one of three species in the mesite

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Mesitornithidae, and is restricted in distribution to a small low-land region in southwest Madagascar.

Description

The subdesert mesite is a medium-sized terrestrial bird which is often described as

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fil ...

-like. The species has a long and downward-curved bill distinguishing it from the other members of the family. Both sexes are greyish above and show thin white eyebrows. Both have white underparts; the male has black crescent-shaped spots on the side of the neck and upper breast. The female has rufous spots that may merge into a general rufous tone, and has a tawny cheek patch.

Distribution and habitat

The subdesert mesite is restricted to spiny thicket with open areas, from sea-level to an altitude of . It is restricted to the long, and wide, coastal strip between the

Fiherenana river ''Fiherenana'' is a river in the region Atsimo-Andrefana in southern Madagascar. It flows into the Indian Ocean at Tulear. Due to a local '' fady'' (taboo), pirogue A pirogue ( or ), also called a piragua or piraga, is any of various smal ...

and the Mangoky river, in the south-west of Madagascar. To the north of Manombo there is an area of circa where the habitat is still suitable; elsewhere the habitat is becoming fragmented.

Behaviour and ecology

The subdesert mesite forages by picking invertebrates, seeds and fruit off the ground and may dig into the surface. The birds nests are exposed platforms of twigs built in a bush within of the ground. One or two eggs are laid and the incubation and care of the young is shared by both sexes. They may be

polyandrous Polyandry (; ) is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wives ...

polygynous Polygyny () is a form of polygamy entailing the marriage of a man to several women. The term polygyny is from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); . Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholar ...

. The birds live in communal groups and have a loud ″''nak! nak!''″ alarm call when disturbed.

Status

The population of this species may be dense within its restricted geographic range. It is vulnerable to habitat degradation, by

slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...

cultivation of

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

, burning for

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

, commercial timber and for construction. which is happening in most of its range apart from to the north of Manombo. The birds are also taken by dogs, by hunting, and introduced rats (''

Rattus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'') ...

'' sp) may also be a problem. In 2002 there was an estimated population 115,000 and it is estimated that numbers are falling. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the conservation status of this bird as ″vulnerable″.

References

* ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'', Volume Three, Hoatzin to Auks; ''de Hoyo, Elliot'' and ''Sargatal'',

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1190027 subdesert mesite Endemic birds of Madagascar subdesert mesite Taxa named by Guillaume Grandidier Taxa named by Émile Oustalet