Subdesert mesite
Monias benschi Oustalet & G. Grandidier, 1903
The subdesert mesite (Monias benschi) is a species in the family Mesitornithidae, order Mesitornithiformes. Recorded adults weigh 134.5 g to 142.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.
Quick facts about the subdesert mesite
- Weight
- 134.5 g – 142.8 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- woodlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the subdesert mesite live?
Not recorded
What is the subdesert mesite?
The subdesert mesite (Monias benschi) is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Madagascar. It is one of three species in the mesite family Mesitornithidae, and is restricted in distribution to a small low-land region in southwest Madagascar.
From the Wikipedia article “Subdesert mesite” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Subdesert_mesite&oldid=1380577820), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the subdesert mesite endangered?
The subdesert mesite is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the subdesert mesite classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderMesitornithiformes
- familyMesitornithidae
- genusMonias
- SpeciesMonias benschi Oustalet & G. Grandidier, 1903
Synonyms Mesoenas benschi
Other names and names in other languages (43)
- Bensch's mesiteEnglish
- Bensch's mesiteEnglish
- MoniasEnglish
- MoniasEnglish
- هذاب شبه صحراويArabic
- Mesitornis de BenschCatalan
- mesitornis de bec corvatCatalan
- mesit křivozobýCzech
- mesit BenschůvCzech
- Langnæbbet DrosselrikseDanish
- MoniasstelzenralleGerman
- Halbwüsten-StelzenralleGerman
- Monias-StelzenralleGerman
- Sichel-StelzenralleGerman
- kurbabeka mesitornitoEsperanto
- Mesito moniasSpanish
- sirpnokk-roateloEstonian
- arokyyhkyrääkkäFinnish
- Mésite moniasFrench
- Monias de BenschFrench
- dugokljuni drozdovacCroatian
- sarlóscsőrű lábasguvatHungarian
- Mesite moniasItalian
- Monia di BenschItalian
- メスアカクイナモドキJapanese
- monijaLithuanian
- NakaMalagasy
- Bensch' MoniasDutch
- krumnebbmesittNorwegian
- madagaskarnik krzywodziobyPolish
- mesito-do-sertãoPortuguese
- mesito-de-bico-curvoPortuguese
- mesito-do-subdesertoPortuguese
- МонияRussian
- Мадагаскарский пастушок монияRussian
- mezita krivozobáSlovak
- Polupustinjski mezitSerbian
- bågnäbbad mesitSwedish
- นกเมไซต์ซับเดซเซิร์ตThai
- Benekli MezitTurkish
- моніяUkrainian
- 孤擬鶉Chinese
- 本氏拟鹑Chinese
Relatives of the subdesert mesite
Other species in the same family Mesitornithidae.
Brown mesite
Mesitornis unicolor
White-breasted mesite
Mesitornis variegatus
CompareSubdesert mesite vs Brown mesiteSubdesert mesite vs White-breasted mesite
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the subdesert mesite?
An adult subdesert mesite weighs 134.5 g – 142.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the subdesert mesite endangered?
The subdesert mesite is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the subdesert mesite?
The subdesert mesite (Monias benschi) belongs to the family Mesitornithidae in the order Mesitornithiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Subdesert mesite (Monias benschi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/subdesert-mesite
“Subdesert mesite (Monias benschi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/subdesert-mesite.
@misc{subdesert_mesite_2026,
title = {Subdesert mesite (Monias benschi)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/subdesert-mesite},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}