List of birds
Madagascar is an island nation located off the southeastern coast of Africa. Because of its long separation from neighboring continents—through tectonic movement, it split from Africa about 160 million years ago, and from India around 90 million years ago—it contains many species endemic to the island.[1] Of the 287 bird species recorded on Madagascar, 105 are found nowhere else on earth, and a handful of others are shared only with the neighbouring Comoro Islands;[2] one has been declared extinct.[3]
This list’s taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) follows the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th edition.[4]
Species status comments are taken from Morris and Hawkins’s Birds of Madagascar: A Photographic Guide unless otherwise noted. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts. The IUCN Red List codes are those given by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; they come from the IUCN’s Red List website.[5]
Taxonomic order | Common name | Scientific name | Status | IUCN code |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | White-faced whistling duck | Dendrocygna viduata | Common resident | LC |
2 | Fulvous whistling duck | Dendrocygna bicolor | Uncommon resident | LC |
3 | White-backed duck | Thalassornis leuconotus | Rare resident | LC |
4 | Knob-billed duck | Sarkidiornis melanotos | Locally common resident | LC |
5 | African pygmy goose | Nettapus auritus | Common resident | LC |
6 | Meller’s duck* | Anas melleri | Uncommon resident | EN |
7 | Bernier’s teal* | Anas bernieri | Rare resident | EN |
8 | Red-billed teal | Anas erythrorhyncha | Common resident | LC |
9 | Hottentot teal | Spatula hottentota | Locally common resident | LC |
10 | Madagascan pochard* | Aythya innotata | Recently rediscovered | CR |
11 | Helmeted guineafowl% | Numida meleagris | Common resident | LC |
12 | Madagascan partridge* | Margaroperdix madagarensis | Uncommon resident | LC |
13 | Common quail | Coturnix coturnix | Uncommon resident | LC |
14 | Harlequin quail | Coturnix delegorguei | Uncommon visitor | LC |
15 | Alaotra grebe* | Tachybaptus rufolavatus | Extinct[3] | EX |
16 | Little grebe | Tachybaptus ruficollis | Locally common resident | LC |
17 | Madagascan grebe* | Tachybaptus pelzelnii | Uncommon resident | VU |
18 | Greater flamingo | Phoenicopterus roseus | Regular, rare breeder | LC |
19 | Lesser flamingo | Phoenicopterus minor | Erratic migrant | NT |
20 | Southern rockhopper penguin | Eudyptes chrysocome | Very rare vagrant | VU |
21 | Northern rockhopper penguin | Eudyptes moseleyi | Very rare vagrant | EN |
22 | Indian yellow-nosed albatross | Thalassarche carteri | Rare vagrant | EN |
23 | Salvin’s albatross | Thalassarche salvini | Rare vagrant | VU |
24 | Shy albatross | Thalassarche cauta | Rare vagrant | VU |
25 | Black-browed albatross | Thalassarche melanophrys | Rare vagrant | EN |
26 | Southern giant petrel | Macronectes giganteus | Regular offshore | NT |
27 | Cape petrel | Daption capense | Offshore migrant | LC |
28 | Great-winged petrel | Pterodroma macroptera | Uncommon | LC |
29 | Soft-plumaged petrel | Pterodroma mollis | Very rare vagrant | LC |
30 | Barau’s petrel | Pterodroma baraui | Very rare vagrant | EN |
31 | Antarctic prion | Pachyptila desolata | Offshore migrant | LC |
32 | Slender-billed prion | Pachyptila belcheri | Rare vagrant | LC |
33 | Bulwer’s petrel | Bulweria bulwerii | Very rare vagrant[23] | LC |
34 | Jouanin’s petrel | Bulweria fallax | Very rare vagrant | LC |
35 | Cory’s shearwater | Calonectris diomedea | Very rare vagrant | LC |
36 | Flesh-footed shearwater | Ardenna carneipes | Very rare vagrant | LC |
37 | Wedge-tailed shearwater | Ardenna pacificus | Uncommon offshore | LC |
38 | Tropical shearwater | Puffinus bailloni | Uncommon offshore | LC |
39 | Wilson’s storm petrel | Oceanites oceanicus | Regular migrant | LC |
40 | White-faced storm petrel | Pelagodroma marina | Very rare vagrant | LC |
41 | White-bellied storm petrel | Fregetta grallaria | Very rare vagrant | LC |
42 | Black-bellied storm petrel | Fregetta tropica | Regular | LC |
43 | White-tailed tropicbird | Phaethon lepturus | Visiting breeder | LC |
44 | Red-billed tropicbird | Phaethon aethereus | Very rare vagrant | LC |
45 | Red-tailed tropicbird | Phaethon rubricauda | Visiting breeder | LC |
46 | African openbill | Anastomus lamelligerus | Resident | LC |
47 | Yellow-billed stork | Mycteria ibis | Locally common | LC |
48 | Greater frigatebird | Fregata minor | Casual visitor | LC |
49 | Lesser frigatebird | Fregata ariel | Casual visitor | LC |
50 | Masked booby | Sula dactylatra | Very rare vagrant | LC |
51 | Brown booby | Sula leucogaster | Visiting breeder | LC |
52 | Red-footed booby | Sula sula | Uncommon visitor | LC |
53 | Long-tailed cormorant | Microcarbo africanus | Resident | LC |
54 | African darter | Anhinga rufa | Resident | LC |
55 | Pink-backed pelican | Pelecanus rufescens | Rare vagrant | LC |
56 | Hamerkop | Scopus umbretta | Resident | LC |
57 | Little bittern | Ixobrychus minutus | Scarce breeder | LC |
58 | Gray heron | Ardea cinerea | Fairly common resident | LC |
59 | Black-headed heron | Ardea melanocephala | Very rare vagrant | LC |
60 | Humblot’s heron | Ardea humbloti | Uncommon resident | EN |
61 | Goliath heron | Ardea goliath | Very rare vagrant | LC |
62 | Purple heron | Ardea purpurea | Fairly common resident | LC |
63 | Great egret | Ardea alba | Common resident | LC |
64 | Dimorphic egret | Egretta dimorpha | Fairly common resident | LC |
65 | Black heron | Egretta ardesiaca | Fairly common resident | LC |
66 | Cattle egret | Bubulcus ibis | Common resident | LC |
67 | Squacco heron | Ardeola ralloides | Common resident | LC |
68 | Madagascar pond heron | Ardeola idae | Visiting breeder | LC |
69 | Striated heron | Butorides striata | Fairly common resident | LC |
70 | Black-crowned night heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | Uncommon resident | LC |
71 | Glossy ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | Common resident | LC |
72 | Madagascan ibis* | Lophotibis cristata | Rare resident | NT |
73 | Madagascar white ibis | Threskiornis bernieri | Rare resident | EN |
74 | African spoonbill | Platalea alba | Uncommon resident | LC |
75 | Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | Rare vagrant | LC |
76 | Black-shouldered kite | Elanus caeruleus | LC | |
77 | Madagascan harrier-hawk* | Polyboroides radiatus | LC | |
78 | Madagascan serpent eagle* | Eutriorchis astur | EN | |
79 | Madagascar cuckoo-hawk* | Aviceda madagascariensis | LC | |
80 | Bat hawk | Macheiramphus alcinus | LC | |
81 | Madagascar marsh harrier* | Circus macrosceles | VU | |
82 | Frances’s goshawk* | Accipiter francesii | LC | |
83 | Madagascan sparrowhawk* | Accipiter madagascariensis | NT | |
84 | Henst’s goshawk* | Accipiter henstii | NT | |
85 | Yellow-billed kite | Milvus aegyptius | NR | |
86 | Madagascan fish eagle* | Haliaeetus vociferoides | CR | |
87 | Madagascan buzzard* | Buteo brachypterus | LC | |
88 | White-breasted mesite* | Mesitornis variegata | Locally common resident | VU |
89 | Brown mesite* | Mesitornis unicolor | Uncommon resident | VU |
90 | Subdesert mesite* | Monias benschi | Uncommon resident | VU |
91 | Madagascar wood-rail* | Canirallus kioloides | LC | |
92 | Tsingy wood rail* | Mentocrex beankaensis | Range-restricted resident[24] | NT |
93 | Madagascan rail* | Rallus madagascariensis | VU | |
94 | White-throated rail | Dryolimnas cuvieri | LC | |
95 | Sakalava rail* | Amaurornis olivieri | EN | |
96 | Baillon’s crake | Porzana pusilla | LC | |
97 | African swamphen | Porphyrio madagascariensis | LC | |
98 | Allen’s gallinule | Porphyrio alleni | LC | |
99 | Common moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | LC | |
100 | Red-knobbed coot | Fulica cristata | LC | |
101 | Madagascan flufftail* | Sarothrura insularis | LC | |
102 | Slender-billed flufftail* | Sarothrura watersi | EN | |
103 | Black-winged stilt | Himantopus himantopus | Fairly common resident | LC |
104 | Pied avocet | Recurvirostra avosetta | Very rare vagrant | LC |
105 | Grey plover | Pluvialis squatarola | LC | |
106 | Pacific golden plover | Pluvialis fulva | LC | |
107 | Lesser sandplover | Charadrius mongolus | LC | |
108 | Greater sandplover | Charadrius leschenaultii | LC | |
109 | Kittlitz’s plover | Charadrius pecuarius | LC | |
110 | Common ringed plover | Charadrius hiaticula | LC | |
111 | Madagascan plover* | Charadrius thoracicus | VU | |
112 | Three-banded plover | Charadrius tricollaris | LC | |
113 | White-fronted plover | Charadrius marginatus | LC | |
114 | Greater painted-snipe | Rostratula benghalensis | LC | |
115 | Madagascan jacana* | Actophilornis albinucha | NT | |
116 | Terek sandpiper | Xenus cinereus | LC | |
117 | Common sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | LC | |
118 | Green sandpiper | Tringa ochropus | LC | |
119 | Common greenshank | Tringa nebularia | LC | |
120 | Marsh sandpiper | Tringa stagnatilis | LC | |
121 | Wood sandpiper | Tringa glareola | LC | |
122 | Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | LC | |
123 | Eurasian curlew | Numenius arquata | NT | |
124 | Black-tailed godwit | Limosa limosa | NT | |
125 | Bar-tailed godwit | Limosa lapponica | LC | |
126 | Ruddy turnstone | Arenaria interpres | LC | |
127 | Ruff | Calidris pugnax | LC | |
128 | Curlew sandpiper | Calidris ferruginea | LC | |
129 | Sharp-tailed sandpiper | Calidris acuminata | Very rare vagrant[25] | LC |
130 | Sanderling | Calidris alba | LC | |
131 | Little stint | Calidris minuta | LC | |
132 | Buff-breasted sandpiper | Calidris subruficollis | Very rare vagrant[26] | LC |
133 | Madagascan snipe* | Gallinago macrodactyla | VU | |
134 | Red-necked phalarope | Phalaropus lobatus | Very rare vagrant[26] | LC |
135 | Madagascan buttonquail* | Turnix nigricollis | Common resident | LC |
136 | Crab-plover | Dromas ardeola | Common visitor | LC |
137 | Madagascan pratincole | Glareola ocularis | VU | |
138 | Brown skua | Stercorarius antarctica | LC | |
139 | Pomarine skua | Sterocorarius pomarinus | LC | |
140 | Arctic skua | Stercorarius parasiticus | LC | |
141 | Long-tailed skua | Stercorarius longicaudus | LC | |
142 | Gray-headed gull | Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus | LC | |
143 | Kelp gull | Larus dominicanus | LC | |
144 | Brown noddy | Anous stolidus | LC | |
145 | Lesser noddy | Anous tenuirostris | LC | |
146 | White tern | Gygis alba | LC | |
147 | Sooty tern | Onychoprion fuscatus | LC | |
148 | Bridled tern | Onychoprion anaethetus | LC | |
149 | Saunders’s tern | Sternula saundersi | LC | |
150 | Damara tern | Sternula balaenarum | NT | |
151 | Gull-billed tern | Gelochelidon nilotica | LC | |
152 | Caspian tern | Hydroprogne caspia | LC | |
153 | Black tern | Chlidonias niger | LC | |
154 | White-winged tern | Chlidonias leucopterus | LC | |
155 | Whiskered tern | Chlidonias hybrida | LC | |
156 | Roseate tern | Sterna dougallii | LC | |
157 | Black-naped tern | Sterna sumatrana | LC | |
158 | Common tern | Sterna hirundo | LC | |
159 | Greater crested tern | Thalasseus bergii | LC | |
160 | Sandwich tern | Thalasseus sandvicensis | LC | |
161 | Lesser crested tern | Thalasseus bengalensis | LC | |
162 | Madagascan sandgrouse* | Pterocles personatus | LC | |
163 | Rock pigeon% | Columba livia | LC | |
164 | Malagasy turtle dove | Nesoenas picturatus | LC | |
165 | Namaqua dove | Oena capensis | LC | |
166 | Madagascan green pigeon | Treron australis | LC | |
167 | Madagascan blue pigeon* | Alectroenas madagascariensis | LC | |
168 | Thick-billed cuckoo | Pachycoccyx audeberti | LC | |
169 | Madagascar lesser cuckoo | Cuculus rochii | LC | |
170 | Giant coua* | Coua gigas | LC | |
171 | Coquerel’s coua* | Coua coquereli | LC | |
172 | Red-breasted coua* | Coua serriana | LC | |
173 | Red-fronted coua* | Coua reynaudii | LC | |
174 | Red-capped coua* | Coua ruficeps | LC | |
175 | Running coua* | Coua cursor | LC | |
176 | Crested coua* | Coua cristata | LC | |
177 | Verreaux’s coua* | Coua verreauxi | NT | |
178 | Blue coua* | Coua caerulea | LC | |
179 | Madagascar coucal | Centropus toulou | LC | |
180 | Barn owl | Tyto alba | LC | |
181 | Red owl* | Tyto soumagnei | VU | |
182 | Malagasy scops-owl* | Otus rutilus | LC | |
183 | Madagascan owl* | Asio madagascariensis | LC | |
184 | Marsh owl | Asio capensis | LC | |
185 | White-browed owl | Ninox superciliaris | LC | |
186 | Collared nightjar* | Gactornis enarratus | LC | |
187 | Madagascan nightjar | Caprimulgus madagascariensis | LC | |
188 | Malagasy spinetail | Zoonavena grandidieri | Widespread resident | LC |
189 | Alpine swift | Tachymarptis melba | Widespread resident | LC |
190 | Madagascar swift | Apus balstoni | Widespread resident | LC |
191 | Little swift | Apus affinis | Recent colonist | LC |
192 | African palm swift | Cypsiurus parvus | Widespread resident | LC |
193 | Malagasy kingfisher | Corythornis vintsioides | Common resident | LC |
194 | Madagascan pygmy kingfisher* | Corythornis madagascariensis | Common resident | LC |
195 | Madagascar bee-eater | Merops superciliosus | LC | |
196 | European bee-eater | Merops apiaster | Very rare vagrant | LC |
197 | Broad-billed roller | Eurystomus glaucurus | LC | |
198 | Short-legged ground roller* | Brachypteracias leptosomus | Resident | VU |
199 | Scaly ground roller* | Brachypteracias squamigera | Resident | VU |
200 | Pitta-like ground roller* | Atelornis pittoides | Resident | LC |
201 | Rufous-headed ground roller* | Atelornis crossleyi | Resident | NT |
202 | Long-tailed ground roller* | Uratelornis chimaera | Resident | VU |
203 | Cuckoo-roller | Leptosomus discolor | LC | |
204 | Madagascan hoopoe | Upupa marginata | LC | |
205 | Madagascar kestrel | Falco newtoni | Resident | LC |
206 | Banded kestrel* | Falco zoniventris | Uncommon resident | LC |
207 | Eleonora’s falcon | Falco eleonorae | Winter visitor | LC |
208 | Sooty falcon | Falco concolor | Winter visitor | NT |
209 | Peregrine falcon | Falco peregrinus | Scarce resident | LC |
210 | Greater vasa parrot* | Coracopsis vasa | LC | |
211 | Lesser vasa parrot | Coracopsis nigra | LC | |
212 | Grey-headed lovebird* | Agapornis canus | LC | |
213 | Velvet asity* | Philepitta castanea | LC | |
214 | Schlegel’s asity* | Philepitta schlegeli | NT | |
215 | Common sunbird-asity* | Neodrepanis coruscans | LC | |
216 | Yellow-bellied sunbird-asity* | Neodrepanis hypoxanthus | VU | |
217 | Archbold’s newtonia* | Newtonia archboldi | LC | |
218 | Common newtonia* | Newtonia brunneicauda | LC | |
219 | Dark newtonia* | Newtonia amphichroa | LC | |
220 | Red-tailed newtonia* | Newtonia fanovanae | VU | |
221 | Tylas vanga* | Tylas eduardi | LC | |
222 | Red-tailed vanga* | Calicalicus madagascariensis | Fairly common resident | LC |
223 | Red-shouldered vanga* | Calicalicus rufocarpalis | Uncommon resident | VU |
224 | Nuthatch vanga* | Hypositta corallirostris | LC | |
225 | Chabert vanga* | Leptopterus chabert | LC | |
226 | Crossley’s vanga* | Mystacornis crossleyi | LC | |
227 | Blue vanga* | Cyanolanius madagascarinus | LC | |
228 | Ward’s flycatcher* | Pseudobias wardi | Range-restricted resident | LC |
229 | Hook-billed vanga* | Vanga curvirostris | LC | |
230 | Rufous vanga* | Schetba rufa | LC | |
231 | Helmet vanga* | Euryceros prevostii | VU | |
232 | Bernier’s vanga* | Oriolia bernieri | VU | |
233 | Sickle-billed vanga* | Falculea palliata | LC | |
234 | White-headed vanga* | Artamella viridis | LC | |
235 | Pollen’s vanga* | Xenopirostris polleni | NT | |
236 | Lafresnaye’s vanga* | Xenopirostris xenopirostris | LC | |
237 | Van Dam’s vanga* | Xenopirostris damii | EN | |
238 | Ashy cuckooshrike | Coracina cinerea | LC | |
239 | Eurasian golden oriole | Oriolus oriolus | LC | |
240 | Crested drongo | Dicrurus forficatus | Common resident | LC |
241 | Madagascar paradise flycatcher | Terpsiphone mutata | Common resident | LC |
242 | House crow | Corvus splendens | Very rare vagrant[27] | LC |
243 | Pied crow | Corvus albus | Common resident | LC |
244 | Madagascan lark* | Eremopterix hova | LC | |
245 | Brown-throated martin | Riparia paludicola | LC | |
246 | Sand martin | Riparia riparia | LC | |
247 | Mascarene martin | Phedina borbonica | LC | |
248 | Barn swallow | Hirundo rustica | LC | |
249 | Madagascar bulbul | Hypsipetes madagascariensis | LC | |
250 | Madagascar brush warbler* | Nesillas typica (E) | LC | |
251 | Madagascan swamp warbler* | Acrocephalus newtoni | LC | |
252 | Brown emutail* | Bradypterus brunneus | LC | |
253 | Grey emutail* | Amphilais seebohmi | LC | |
254 | White-throated oxylabes* | Oxylabes madagascariensis | LC | |
255 | Long-billed bernieria* | Bernieria madagascariensis | LC | |
256 | Cryptic warbler* | Cryptosylvicola randriansoloi | LC | |
257 | Wedge-tailed jery* | Hartertula flavoviridis | NT | |
258 | Thamnornis* | Thamnornis chloropetoides | LC | |
259 | Yellow-browed oxylabes* | Crossleyia xanthophrys | NT | |
260 | Spectacled tetraka* | Xanthomixis zosterops | LC | |
261 | Appert’s tetraka* | Xanthomixis apperti | VU | |
262 | Dusky tetraka* | Xanthomixis tenebrosus | VU | |
263 | Grey-crowned tetraka* | Xanthomixis cinereiceps | NT | |
264 | Rand’s warbler* | Randia pseudozosterops | LC | |
265 | Common jery* | Neomixis tenella | LC | |
266 | Green jery* | Neomixis viridis | LC | |
267 | Stripe-throated jery* | Neomixis striatigula | LC | |
268 | Madagascan cisticola | Cisticola cherinus | LC | |
269 | Madagascar white-eye | Zosterops maderaspatanus | LC | |
270 | Madagascar magpie-robin* | Copsychus albospecularis | LC | |
271 | Forest rock thrush* | Monticola sharpei | LC | |
272 | Littoral rock thrush* | Monticola imerinus | LC | |
273 | Madagascan stonechat* | Saxicola sibilla | LC | |
274 | Northern wheatear | Oenanthe oenanthe | Very rare vagrant[28] | LC |
275 | Madagascan starling* | Hartlaubius auratus | Fairly common northwest, north and east | LC |
276 | Common myna% | Acridotheres tristis | Introduced and spreading | LC |
277 | Wattled starling | Creatophora cinerea | Very rare vagrant | LC |
278 | Souimanga sunbird | Cinnyris sovimanga | LC | |
279 | Malagasy green sunbird | Cinnyris notatus | LC | |
280 | Madagascan wagtail* | Motacilla flaviventris | LC | |
281 | House sparrow% | Passer domesticus | LC | |
282 | Nelicourvi weaver* | Ploceus nelicourvi | Fairly common in suitable habitat | LC |
283 | Sakalava weaver* | Ploceus sakalava | LC | |
284 | Madagascar red fody* | Foudia madagascariensis | Very common | LC |
285 | Forest fody* | Foudia omissa | Fairly common | LC |
286 | Common waxbill% | Estrilda astrild | Introduced and local | LC |
287 | Madagascar munia* | Lonchura nana | Common in suitable habitat | LC |