Birds in Madagascar

Terpsiphone mutata (Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher)

Compared to the continental avifauna, the Malagasy bird community is rather species-poor. Of the 283 known species, only 209 breed regularly on the island. Of those 209 species, 51 % are endemic to Madagascar, which is the highest proportion of endemic bird species of any comparable country in the world (Hawkins & Goodman 2003).

83 bird species, like the Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata), the Madagascar Red Fody (Foudia madagascariensis), the Common Newtonia (Newtonia brunneicauda), the Running Coua (Coua cursor) or the Greater Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis vasa) have so far been found by our researchers on the Mahafaly Plateau. They are distributed over 18 orders, amongst which the passerines contain by far the most species. Worldwide, the passerines provide more than half of all known bird species, so on Madagascar, the other orders are represented above average (67 %).

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Go directly to more details about the species diversity on the Mahafaly Plateau by clicking on the animal classes and plants below:

Literature

• A. F. A. Hawkins, S. M. Goodman (2003). Introduction to the birds. In: The natural history of Madagascar. S. Goodman, J.P. Benstead (eds). pp. 1019 ff. The University of Chicago Press. Chicago, London.