- Oriolia bernieri
Identification
23cm. A medium-sized Vanga with a stout, conical bill.
Male
- Black plumage with green sheen
- Greyish-white eye
- Light-grey bill and legs
Female
- Dark tan-rufous plumage, brighter on wing
- Almost all feathers with fine black bars
- Uniformly rufous primaries
Juveniles are similar to females.
Distribution
Endemic to northeast Madagascar.
Scarce and patchily distributed restricted-range species, at risk because of ongoing loss and degradation of habitat.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Moist lowland forests. Occurs from sea-level up to 1000m.
Behaviour
Feeds on invertebrates (spiders, crickets, cockroaches) and small vertebrates (geckos).
Usually seen in pairs or in mixed-species flocks with other vangas.
Breeding season from September to December. Uncertainities about breeding system, polyandrous behaviour observed. The nest is a cup made of root material, palm fibres, dry leaves and muss. It's placed 11 - 14m above the ground inside a palm-leaf whorl. Lays 3 eggs.
Probably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bernier's Vanga. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bernier%27s_Vanga
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
