One of three species in the mesite family, Mesitornithidae, it is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

[2] The white-breasted mesite is a forest species; living in groups of two to four individuals which can be seen resting, or feeding on the ground during the day.

The brown upper plumage provides camouflage while the bird forage on the forest floor, flicking over leaf-litter to find invertebrates.

Diet includes beetles, centipedes, cockroaches, crickets, flies, moths, spiders, and also seeds.

[2] The preferred habitat is undisturbed deciduous forest and the bird has a restricted distribution on five sites in the north and west of Madagascar, as well as one in the east, Ambatovaky Reserve.