| Mesites | |
|---|---|
| |
| Subdesert mesite (Monias benschi) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Columbimorphae |
| Order: | Mesitornithiformes Wetmore, 1960 |
| Family: | Mesitornithidae Wetmore, 1960 |
| Genera | |
| |
| Respective ranges: brown mesite in orange, white-breasted mesite in green and subdesert mesite in blue | |
The mesites (Mesitornithidae) are a family of birds that are part of a clade (Columbimorphae) that include Columbiformes and Pterocliformes.[1] They are smallish flightless or near flightless birds endemic to Madagascar. They are the only family with more than two species in which every species is threatened (all three are listed as vulnerable).[vague][clarification needed]
- ^ Jarvis, E.D.; et al. (2014). "Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds". Science. 346 (6215): 1320–1331. Bibcode:2014Sci...346.1320J. doi:10.1126/science.1253451. PMC 4405904. PMID 25504713.