White-breasted Mesite
Mesitornis variegatus
Odd ground-dwelling bird that is rarely seen by those not looking for it. Brown upperparts, pale underparts, and elaborately striped head. Usually seen in pairs or family groups, walking on the forest floor. Defense behavior is to fly into a tree and freeze. Patchily distributed, mainly in western dry forest, but locally also in rainforest. Call is an incredibly loud and strident mix of clear “whee” notes and fast chuckling notes, usually given in duet by a pair. Can be separated from other mesites by range. Walks on the ground like Madagascar Buttonquail, but much larger and longer-tailed. Could be confused with White-throated Rail, but shorter and slimmer, longer-tailed, with pale underparts. Also slimmer, longer-tailed, and more elaborately patterned than a wood-rail.
Identification
The white-breasted mesite is a medium-sized terrestrial bird which is often described as rail-like (a family with which the mesites are sometimes placed). The species has a white face with distinctive facial markings (a white supercilium and dark malar stripes) and a short dark straight bill. The upperparts are rufous brown, the underside is white with a tawny chest band and a barred belly. The wings are short and rounded and the bird only flies a few metres when pursued. It has a melodic song and sings in the early morning and during the day.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Mesitornis variegatus
- Authority
- (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I, 1838)
- Order
- Mesitornithiformes
- Family
- Mesitornithidae
- Genus
- Mesitornis
Range and habitat
The preferred habitat is undisturbed deciduous forest and the bird has a restricted distribution on five sites in the north and west of Madagascar, as well as one in the east, Ambatovaky Reserve. The northern and western sites are Analamerana Reserve, Ankarafantsika National Park, Ankarana Special Reserve, Daraina forests and Menabe forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The white-breasted mesite is a forest species; living in groups of two to four individuals which can be seen resting, or feeding on the ground during the day. The brown upper plumage provides camouflage while the bird forage on the forest floor, flicking over leaf-litter to find invertebrates. Diet includes beetles, centipedes, cockroaches, crickets, flies, moths, spiders, and also seeds. Egg-laying mainly takes place from November to January with one to three white eggs with rust-coloured spots. The nests are a simple structure of interwoven twigs, within vegetation, and close to the ground.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
New Britain Rail
Gallirallus insignis
A round-bodied and short-tailed rail with long pink legs. Mostly chestnut above and black below with white barring. Almost flightless. Prefers damp thick forest and mountain valleys, but also occurs in swampy grass and agricultural areas. Similar to Pale-vented Bush-Hen and Buff-banded Rail, but differs from both in its black throat with white barring, and from Buff-banded by its lack of a prominent white eyebrow. Vocally poorly known, but reported to give wheezing nasal barks and screams.
Brown Booby
Sula leucogaster
Large seabird of inshore and offshore waters in tropical regions of the Atlantic, Indian, and western Pacific Oceans. Head, neck, and upperparts are solidly brown. Adult has a well-demarcated white belly and immature has a variably mottled brown belly that rarely looks solidly brown. Compare with other boobies and with juvenile Northern Gannet. Often seen from beaches, sometimes just beyond the breakers. Breeds in colonies on offshore islands, nesting on the ground. Recently showing up more regularly as a vagrant on inland lakes and reservoirs in the U.S. and Canada, and further north along the Atlantic coast. Similar to recently split Cocos Booby, but usually separated by range, and never shows a whitish head.
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
Chalybura urochrysia
Medium-sized hummingbird, mostly green. Fairly similar to other hummingbirds including Steely-vented, but note red feet and bronzy rump. Females have whitish underparts and duller pinkish feet. Usually seen singly at flowers in forests or edges.
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