info@cactus-madagascar.com Cactus Tours Madagascar

Madagascar Birding Tours

Custom trips ranging from 8 / 21 / 24 / 34 days

Our birding tours are featured at madagascarbirding.com

The must-visited sites and must-see species are packed in this tours.

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Madagascar birds: helmet vanga

Madagascar Express Birding Tours – 8 days

Designed for those who have very limited journey in Madagascar.

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Madagascar bird: running coua

A combination of a birding watching tours and wildlife safari to spot other top biodiversity hotspots of the island.

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Combo wildlife and birding tours

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 :

  • the Mesitornithidae family
  • the sub-family of Couinae
  • the family of Bachypteraciidea
  • the Leptosomidae family
  • the subfamily of Philepittenae
  • the Bernieridae family
  • and the Vangidae family

 

>> 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.

The Endemic birds of Madagascar This is a short list of the endemic birds of Madagascar per family and sub-family for your reference.
COMMON NAMESSCIENTIFIC 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 CouaCoua coquereli
Crested CouaCoua cristata
Running CouaCoua cursor
Giant Coua Coua gigas
Red-fronted CouaCoua reynaudii
Red-capped CouaCoua r. ruficeps
Red-breasted CouaCoua serriana
Verreaux’s Coua Coua verreauxi
Madagascar (Lesser) CuckooCuculus rochii
Green-capped CouaCoua ruficeps olivaceiceps
Madagascar CoucalCentropus t. toulou
Brachypteraciidae Family (Ground-Rollers)
Rufous-headed Ground-Roller Atelornis crossleyi
Pitta-like Ground-Roller Atelornis pittoides
Short-legged Ground-RollerBrachypteracias 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 AsityPhilepitta castanea
Schlegel’s AsityPhilepitta 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 TetrakaXanthomixis cinereiceps
Dusky TetrakaXanthomixis 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 VangaEuryceros prevostii
Sickle-billed VangaFalculea 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 NewtoniaNewtonia fanovanae
Bernier’s VangaOriola 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

Itinerary outline

  • Antananarivo
  • Diego Suarez
  • Montagne d’Ambre National Park
  • Tsingy of Ankarana
  • Ampijoroa National Park
  • Betsiboka River
  • Majunga
  • Antananarivo
  • Lake Alarobia, Ramsar
  • Perinet/Andasibe National
  • Park – Mantadia Reserve
  • Ranomafana National Park
  • Isalo National Park
  • The Table
  • Zombitse National Park
  • Ifaty
  • St-Augustin
  • Antananarivo

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.

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Madagascar birds: long tailed ground roller
Madagascar birds: Sakalava Rail

This tour covers the most species and habitats possible including the remote ones.

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Birds of Madagascar: Madagascar pochard

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