VulnerableFossa
Cryptoprocta ferox
Birds · Mesitornithiformes · Mesitornithidae
Mesitornis unicolor
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The brown mesite is a ground bird of the Malagasy forest, brown and unobtrusive, and one of the three members of a family endemic to Madagascar with no close relatives anywhere else. It walks through the leaf litter searching for invertebrates, barely flies, and nests on low platforms of twigs. It depends on the primary rainforest of the east of the island, which is steadily shrinking.
Weight
90 g – 120 g
Size
30 cm – 32 cm
Life expectancy
10 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sources consulted: IUCN Red List · Animal Diversity Web · Wikipedia (es)
Best time: All year in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar, by day; it walks on the ground and is detected above all by its whistled call.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Brown Mesite — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The brown mesite is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 5 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about brown mesite.
