Animalia Life

Mesitornis unicolor
TAXONOMY
Mesites unicolor Des Murs, 1845, Madagascar. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Brown roatelo; French: Mйsite unicolore; German: Einfarb-stelzenralle; Spanish: Mesito Unicolor.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
12 in (30 cm); weights unrecorded. Upperparts rufous brown; underparts lighter. Rufous brown head may have pinkish gray tinge; chin and throat whitish tinged with rufous.
DISTRIBUTION
Eastern forests of Madagascar.
HABITAT
Lowland humid forest with sparse understory and thick leaf litter. Sea level to 3,600 ft (1,100 m).
BEHAVIOR
Terrestrial and secretive. May move to different altitudes with the seasons. Often found in small family groups.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Probably similar to M. variegata, taking invertebrates from the forest floor.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeds November through December. Only two nests found: both a platform of sticks 3–7 ft (1–2 m) above the ground, containing one egg. Incubation in both cases was by female, but period unknown.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Vulnerable.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Hunted for food in the south of its range. Elsewhere hunting is restricted by taboo.

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