Our birding tours are featured at madagascarbirding.com The must-visited sites and must-see species are packed in this tours.
Designed for those who have very limited journey in Madagascar.
A combination of a birding watching tours and wildlife safari to spot other top biodiversity hotspots of the island.
The Madagascan Birdlife
The birdlife of Madagascar is particularly very rich especially in species that exist nowhere else on earth.
The forest of Madagascar still keeps marvelous secrets of the nature, including the birdlife.
In the dry deciduous forest of the west or the evergreen wet rainforest of the east as well as in the spiny forest of the south-west, many endemic species can live only in the natural forest habitat and cannot be found in another human-modified habitats like the agricultural area or rice fields.
The birdlife of Madagascar counts 282 species but two of them have been extincted recently according to scientists. 104 of them are endemic.Among the living 280 species, 208 live permanently in Madagascar and 72 are migrators.
The following families are endemic to Madagascar :
>> See detailed list with english names.
Our field guides and birds experts have experiences ranging from 5 to 20 years will be delighted to help you observing the birds of Madagascar. Above their fields experiences, they also acquire regular updates and trainings.
| COMMON NAMES | SCIENTIFIC NAMES |
| Mesitornithidae (Mesites) family | |
| White-breasted Mesite | Mesitornis variegata |
| Brown Mesite | Mesitornis unicolor |
| Subdesert Mesite | Monias benschi |
| Cuculidae family (Cuckoos) | |
| Blue Coua | Coua caerulea |
| Coquerel’s Coua | Coua coquereli |
| Crested Coua | Coua cristata |
| Running Coua | Coua cursor |
| Giant Coua | Coua gigas |
| Red-fronted Coua | Coua reynaudii |
| Red-capped Coua | Coua r. ruficeps |
| Red-breasted Coua | Coua serriana |
| Verreaux’s Coua | Coua verreauxi |
| Madagascar (Lesser) Cuckoo | Cuculus rochii |
| Green-capped Coua | Coua ruficeps olivaceiceps |
| Madagascar Coucal | Centropus t. toulou |
| Brachypteraciidae Family (Ground-Rollers) | |
| Rufous-headed Ground-Roller | Atelornis crossleyi |
| Pitta-like Ground-Roller | Atelornis pittoides |
| Short-legged Ground-Roller | Brachypteracias leptosomus |
| Scaly Ground-Roller | Geobiastes squamiger |
| Long-tailed Ground-Roller | Uratelornis chimaera |
| Leptosomidae (Cuckoo-Roller) | |
| (Madagascar) Cuckoo-Roller | Leptosomus discolor |
| Philepittidae family (Asities) | |
| Common Sunbird-Asity | Neodrepanis coruscans |
| Yellow-bellied (Sunbird-)Asity | Neodrepanis hypoxantha |
| Velvet Asity | Philepitta castanea |
| Schlegel’s Asity | Philepitta schlegeli |
| Bernieridae family (Malagasy Warblers) | |
| Long-billed Bernieria (Greenbul) | Bernieria madagascariensis |
| Yellow-browed Oxylabes | Crossleyia xanthophrys |
| Cryptic Warbler | Cryptosylvicola randrianasoloi |
| Wedge-tailed Jery | Hartertula flavoviridis |
| White-throated Oxylabes | Oxylabes madagascariensis |
| Rand’s Warbler | Randia pseudozosterops |
| Thamnornis (Warbler) | Thamnornis chloropetoides |
| Appert’s Tetraka (Greenbul) | Xanthomixis apperti |
| Grey-crowned Tetraka | Xanthomixis cinereiceps |
| Dusky Tetraka | Xanthomixis tenebrosa |
| Spectacled Tetraka (Greenbul) | Xanthomixis zosterops |
| Vangidae family (Vangas & Helmetshrikes) | |
| White-headed Vanga | Artamella (Leptopterus) viridis |
| Red-tailed Vanga | Calicalicus madagascariensis |
| Red-shouldered Vanga | Calicalicus rufocarpalis |
| Blue Vanga | Cyanolanius m. madagascarinus |
| Helmet Vanga | Euryceros prevostii |
| Sickle-billed Vanga | Falculea palliata |
| Nuthatch Vanga | Hypositta corallirostris |
| Chabert Vanga | Leptopterus chabert |
| Crossley’s Vanga | Mystacornis crossleyi |
| Dark Newtonia | Newtonia amphichroa |
| Archbold’s Newtonia | Newtonia archboldi |
| Common Newtonia | Newtonia brunneicauda |
| Red-tailed Newtonia | Newtonia fanovanae |
| Bernier’s Vanga | Oriola bernieri |
| Ward’s Flycatcher | Pseudobias wardi |
| Rufous Vanga | Schetba rufa |
| Tylas Vanga | Tylas eduardi |
| Hook-billed Vanga | Vanga curvirostris |
| Van Dam’s Vanga | Xenopirostris damii |
| Pollen’s Vanga | Xenopirostris polleni |
| Lafresnaye’s Vanga | Xenopirostris xenopirostris |
Suggested Extensions:
– The Lake Tsimanapetsotsa, recently classified as a Ramsar site
– The Onilahy River
– Anjozorobe corridor
– Mountain d’Ambre National Park
– Masoala National Park
– Marojejy National Park
– Belo sur Mer to Kirindy Mitea
– Manambolomaty Reserve – a haven for the Madagascar Fish Eagle.
– Bemanevika Reserve
The itinerary will be customized as per your target species.
This is a comprehensive birdwatching tours, designed to cover most of the endemics and the maximum species possible.
This tour covers the most species and habitats possible including the remote ones.
Contact us: +261-341-505-757 /+261 -202-201-825 – E-mail: info@cactusmadagascar.com
Cactus Tours Madagascar
Head office: 146 B – Antanetibe Ivato
P.o. Box 206 Ivato Airport – 101 Antananarivo – Madagascar
AFFILIATIONS:
info@cactus-madagascar.com
