Mesito pardo

Identificación

This species 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 plain face, marked only by a slightly contrasting fleshy eye-ring around a rather large eye and a variable white streak behind the eye. It has a short straight bill. The upperparts of the bird are rufous brown, the underside tawny with no barring or spotting.

Taxonomía

Nombre científico

Mesitornis unicolor

Autoridad

(des Murs, 1845)

Orden

Mesitornítidos

Familia

Mesitornithidae

Género

Mesitornis

Distribución y hábitat

The brown mesite has a patchy distribution in humid evergreen forest along the eastern coast of Madagascar, from Marojejy National Park in the north to Tôlanaro to the south.

Migración

Vertical migration

Comportamiento

The brown mesite is a humid forest species, it forages by walking through the forest floor flicking over leaf-litter in order to find invertebrates. Its rufous brown plumage provides reasonable camouflage on the shady forest floor. The preferred habitat is undisturbed deciduous forest from sea-level up to 1,200 meters (3,900 ft). One to three eggs are laid in a nest which consists of a loose platform made from twigs and lined with plant fibre and leaves. The eggs are dull white with brown markings on one end. Soon after hatching the chicks leave the nest. It is secretive and rarely seen.The brown mesite has never been observed flying; this may be simply due to its secretive habits, or it may be because it is in fact flightless.

Conservación

Tendencia poblacional

declining