Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pigeon, Madagascar hoopoe, Thamnornis warbler, common newtonia, common jery,
long-billed green sunbird, white-headed and blue vangas, and Sakalava weaver.
Spiny forest Excellent birding year-round; start just before daybreak.
Ifaty/Mangily (The protected portion of the PK 32 spiny bush parcel.) Ifaty's bizarre
Euphorbia-Didiereaceae bush holds some extremely localised birds, notably sub-
desertmesite,long-tailedground-roller,Lafresnaye'svangaandArchbold'snewtonia.
Look for running coua and subdesert brush-warbler. Excellent for banded kestrel and
Madagascar nightjar too.
StAugustine'sBayandAnakao ThecoralraggscrubhereislowerthanIfaty'sspiny
bush and holds Verreaux's coua, littoral rock thrush and the recently described red-
shouldered vanga (La Table is a good site for these birds). At puddles along the road
look for Madagascar plover.
The Madagascar kestrel ( Falco newtoni ) is joined by other raptors such as the banded
kestrel ( Falco zoniventris ), the exceptionally handsome Madagascar harrier-hawk ( Poly-
boroides radiatus ), Frances's sparrow-hawk ( Accipiter francesii ), Madagascar buzzard
( Buteo brachypterus ), Madagascar cuckoo-hawk ( Aviceda madagascariensis ) and seven
species of owl. The two endemic eagles - the critically endangered Madagascar fish eagle
( Haliaeetus vociferoides ) of the west coast and the Madagascar serpent eagle ( Eutriorchis
astur ) of the northeastern rainforests - are among the world's rarest raptors. Like the Mad-
agascar red owl ( Tyto soumagnei ), the serpent eagle had managed to escape detection for
several decades and was feared extinct, until both species were found thriving discretely
in various rainforest sites. The ultra-rare Sakalava rail ( Amaurornis olivieri ) was also re-
cently rediscovered in the Mahavavy Delta, which holds a small breeding population. But
the most sensational avian news to emerge from Madagascar in recent years was the dis-
covery, in November 2006, of 13 Madagascar pochards ( Aythya innotata ) living on a re-
mote northern lake. This diving duck, previously thought to have been confined to Lake
Alaotra, had not been seen alive since 1992 and was thought likely to be extinct.
MAMMALS Madagascar's mammals are the prize exhibit in the island's incredible me-
nagerie. They exist as anobscure assortment ofprimates, insectivores, carnivores, bats and
rodents, representing the descendants of parties of individuals who, curled up in hollow
trunks or skipping across temporary islands, accidentally completed the perilous journey
from eastern Africa to the island beyond the horizon at different times over the last 100
million years. Once established, they gradually spread through the diverse habitats of their
paradise island, all the time evolving and creating new species.
 
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