- Cyanolanius madagascarinus
Identification
16 - 19cm. A small, distinctive vanga:
- Blue crown, nape, cheek, ear-coverts and upperparts (crown and nape with slight lilac tinge)
- Black line through eye
- Rear ear-coverts edged by narrow black line
- Blackish flight-feathers
- Blue tail with blackish tip
- Bright white throat and underparts
- Pale sky-blue eye
- Medium blue bill with dark tip and cutting edges
Females are duller than males with off-white underparts and sometimes a light buffy or pale orange wash on breast. Eye browner
Juveniles have blue colors replaced by brown to buffy. Bill is black with pink base.
Distribution
Widespread and common in northern and central Madagascar.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Formerly considered the same species as Comoro Blue Vanga under the name of "Blue Vanga".
Habitat
Decidious dry forest in western Madagascar and evergreen humid forest in eastern Madagascar. Occurs from sea-level up to 1200m or exceptionally to 1600 m asl.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects and occasionally berries. Often seen feeding while hanging from its feet, upside-down in leaf cluster near ends of thin branches. Forages in groups of up to six birds and commonly in mixed-species flocks with other vangas, Common Newtonia, Malagasy White-eye, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Malagasy Paradise-Flycatcher, Malagasy Green Sunbird or other species. Few data about breeding. Season in Madagascar probably from September to December. The nest is cup-shaped and placed about 12m above the ground in a tree. Probably a mainly sedentary species.
Vocalisation
Principally a hard rattle that makes humans think about angry sounds. This is often repeated many times.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
- Kirwan, G. M., S. Yamagishi, J. del Hoyo, N. Collar, and M. Nakamura (2022). Madagascar Blue Vanga (Cyanolanius madagascarinus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bluvan3.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Madagascar Blue Vanga. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Madagascar_Blue_Vanga
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
