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]
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).[11]
^"Part 7- Vertebrates". Collection of genus-group names in a systematic arrangement. Archived from
the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.