Home  About Madagascar   Maps   People   History   FAQs   Environment  Flora  Wildlife   Birds   Fish   Frogs   Invertebrates   Lemurs   Mammals   Reptiles  Places   Antananarivo  Conservation   ANGAP   Parks   Guides   News  Photos  Media resources  Forum / Discuss  Store  Madagascar Travel  About the site  How to help  Books  Links  Contact Birds of Madagascar Madagascar has "only" 258 bird speices, although 115 of these are endemic (with 36 endemic genera, Madagascar has more unique genera than any other African country. Madagascar also possesses 5 endemic families of birds). Madagascar was once home to giant land birds, the largest of which weighed over 1100 pounds (500 kg) and stood ten feet (3m) tall. Elephant birds (Aepyornis) were driven to extinction in the past couple hundred years by human hunting, introduced species, and habitat loss. You can still see remnants of their existence with their giant eggs which are reassembled and offered for sale in parts of the country. It is estimated that the 20 pound egg of Aepyornis maximus could make an omelette to feed 150 people (Brown 1978). A list of birds found in Ranomafana National Park: Accipiter henstii Henst's Goshawk Acrocephalus newtoni Madagascar Swamp-Warbler Alcedo (Corythornis) vintsioides Malagasy Kingfisher Alectroenas madagascariensis Madagascar Blue Pigeon Anas erythrorhyncha Red-billed Teal Anas melleri Meller's duck Ardea cinerea Grey heron Asio madagascariensis Marsh Owl Atelornis crossleyi Rufous-headed Ground-Roller Atelornis pittoides Pitta-like Ground-Roller Aviceda madagascariensis Madagascar cuckoo-Falcon Brachypteracias leptosomus Short-legged Ground-Roller Bubulcus ibis Cattle egret Buteo brachypterus Madagascar Buzzard Calicalicus madagascariensis Red-tailed Vanga Canirallus kioloides Madagascar Wood Rail Caprimulgus enarratus Collared Nightjar Caprimulgus madagascariensis Madagascar Nightjar Centropus toulou Madagascar Coucal Cisticola cherina Madagascar Cisticola Copsychus albospecularis Madagascar Magpie-Robin Coracina cinerea Ashy Cuckoo-Shrike Coracopsis nigra Lesser Vasa Parrot Coracopsis vasa Greater Vasa Parrot Coua caerulea Blue Coua Coua reynaudii Red-fronted Coua Coua rutilus Crossleyia xanthophrys Yellow-browed Oxylabes Cuculus rochii Thick-billed Cuckoo Dendrocygna viduata White faced whistling duck Dicrurus forficatus Crested Drongo Dromaeocercus brunneus Brown Emutail Dromaeocercus seebohmi Grey Emutail Dryolimans cuvieri White-throated Rail Eurystomus glaucurus Broad-billed Roller Falco eleonorae Eleonora's falcon Falco peregrinus Peregrine falcon Felco newtoni Madagascar kestrel Foudia madagascariensis Madagascar Red Fody Foudia omissa Forest Fody Hartertula flavoviridis Wedge-tailed Jerry Hypositta corallirostris Nuthatch Vanga Hypsipetes madagascariensis Madagascar Black Bubul Ipsidina madagascariensis Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher Leptopterus chabert Chabert's Vanga Leptopterus madagascariensis Leptopterus viridis White-headed Vanga Leptosomus discolor Cuckoo-Roller Lonchura nana Madagascar Mannikin Lophotibis cristata Madagascar crested ibis Merops superciliosus Madagascar Bee-eater Mesitornis unicolor Brown Mesite Motacilla flaviventris Madagascar Wagtail Mystacornis crossleyi Crossley's Babbler Nectarinia notata Long-billed Green Sunbird Nectarinia souimanga Souimanga Sunbird Neodrepanis coruscans Sunbird-Asity Neodrepanis hypoxantha Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity Neomisix striatigula Stripe-throated Jery Neomixis tenella Common Jery Neomixis viridis Green Jery Nesillas typica Madagascar Brush-Warbler Newtonia brunneicauda Dark Newtonia Nycticorax nycticorax Black crowned night-heron Otus rutilus Malagasy Scops-Owl Oxylabes madagascariensis White-throated Oxylabes Phedina borbonica Mascarene Martin Philepitta castenea Philepitta shlegeli Phyllastrephus cinereiceps Grey-crowned Greenbul Phyllastrephus madagascariensis Long-billed Greenbul Phyllastrephus zosterops Spectacled Greenbul Ploceus nelicourvi Nelicourvi Weaver Polyboroides radiatus Madagascar Harrier-Hawk Pseudocossyphus (Monticola) sharpei Forest Rock-Thrush Psudobias wardi Ward's Flycather Rallus madagascariensis Madagascar Rail Sarothrura insularis Madagascar flufftail Saxicola torquata Stonechat Schetba rufa Rufous Vanga Scopus umbretta Hammerkop Streptopelia picturata Madagascar Turtledove Tachybaptus pelzelnii Madagascar Little Grebe Terpsiphone mutata Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher Treron australis Madagascar Green Pigeon Tylas eduardi Tylas Vanga Vanga curvirostris Hook-billed Vanga Xenopirostris polleni Lafresnaye's Vanga Zoonavena grandidieri Madagascar Spine-tailed Swift Zosterops maderaspatana Madagascar White-eye Bird list is derived from Birds of RNP Copyright Rhett Butler 2003