Bird Album
Brown Mesite
Mesitornis unicolor (des Murs, 1845)
148 gWeight
The brown mesite (Mesitornis unicolor) is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Madagascar.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Madagascar
Where and when it's recorded
Brown Mesite has been recorded at 7 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Ranomafana NPMadagascar293 records
- Ranomafana NP—Sahamalaotra TrackMadagascar97 records
- Ranomafana NP – VariboloMadagascar81 records
More places
- Ranomafana NP – VohipararaMadagascar32 records
- Andasibe-Mantadia NPMadagascar5 records
- PerinetMadagascar2 records
- Andasibe Mantadia National ParkMadagascar1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The brown mesite (Mesitornis unicolor) is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Madagascar. It is one of three species in the mesite family or the Mesitornithidae, and though classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is the most widespread of the three.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Brown Mesite?
The Brown Mesite weighs around 148 g.
Where does the Brown Mesite live?
Its breeding range: Africa: eastern Madagascar. It is most often recorded in Madagascar.
When is the best time to see the Brown Mesite?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Brown Mesite endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown Mesite as Vulnerable.
What does the Brown Mesite eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Brown Mesite in?
It belongs to the family Mesites (Mesitornithidae), order Mesitornithiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 148 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Vulnerable
More measurements
- Wing
- 114 mm
- Tail
- 104 mm
- Bill
- 22 mm
- Tarsus
- 40 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: eastern Madagascar
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Mesitornithiformes
- Family
- Mesites Mesitornithidae
- Genus
- Mesitornis
Other birds in the genus Mesitornis
White-breasted MesiteMesitornis variegatus
Subdesert MesiteMonias benschi
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Will_K. ↗
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