Madagascar – 7-18 March 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Madagascar's Nine Species of Couas Constitute a Unique Subfamily of Cuckoos Found Only in Madagascar
MadagascarMadagascar forfor RealReal For its size and tropical location, Madagascar has a limited resident bird fauna of about 250 species, but half of these are found nowhere else. There are even five endemic families of birds. This is an amazingly high level of endemicity considering that birds could fly between Africa and Madagascar in as little as 200 miles. Another endemic family, the flightless giant elephant birds,became extinct within the last few hundred years. Shell fragments of their two-gallon-size eggs still litter the ground in some areas. The Madagascar Fish Eagle (at left) is one of the world's rarest birds of prey, with a total population of about 100 Madagascar Fish Eagle, Haliaeetus vociferoides, Ankarafantsika National Park (Larry Barnes photo) pairs. This eagle is a close relative of Below: the American Bald Eagle A male Paradise Flycatcher sleeping above a trail. i, Antananarivo. (Larry Barnes photo) i, Falco newton Madagascar Kestrels, Fledgling Madagascar Kestrels were in a vent pipe at our hotel in Antananarivo. This falcon is one of the few species of endemic wildlife becoming more common and widespread in response to human activities. The Madagascar Kestrel is closely related to the similar Paradise Flycatcher, Terpsiphone mutata, Nosy Mangabe Reserve (David Parks photo) Terpsiphone Paradise Flycatcher, American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). Coquerel's Coua, Coua coquereli, at Ankarafantsika National Park. (Larry Barnes photo) Madagascar's nine species of Couas constitute a unique subfamily of cuckoos found only in Madagascar. Coquerel's Coua (above) inhabits dry forest while the Blue Coua (right) is a rainforest species. Blue Coua, Coua caerulea, Marojejy National Park. -
Madagascar, 1998
A mammal, bird, reptile, orchid and people-watching trip to - Madagascar (and a very short stay in Mauritius) 18-10-98 to 21-11-98 Dave Siems and Steve Anyon-Smith “weird (verb) – Madagascar” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When our first guide, Patrice Rabearisoa, asked us what we wanted to see, he went white (not easy) at our reply – “we want to see all the birds, mammals, reptiles, orchids and everything else of interest in the forest, in no particular order.” He showed us all these things and more in the paradise that was, and still is, in parts, Madagascar. Outline of Trip “Madagascar” I said to Dave, and his eyes lit up. Five weeks later we were looking at lemurs. Our advice was that there was no safe or even practical way to visit a country populated by thieves, thugs and other human detritus of the worst order. There was said to be no usable public transport and if the food or the locals didn’t kill you, the insects most definitely would. So Dave and I set out to test these propositions. Madagascar is renowned for its wildlife, political instability and not much else. Our mission was to see as much of the native fauna and flora as possible during a five-week stay. We used public transport at all times and hired local guides at every location (this is generally compulsory anyway). We scattered ourselves widely throughout the country as the habitats are extremely varied, boasting rainforest, semi-desert, the so-called spiny forest and anything in between. Our expectations for the trip were not high given that we had little prior information and fully expected to be roasted slowly over a kitchen fire somewhere if we had managed to avoid perishing in a traffic accident. -
MADAGASCAR: the Wonders of the “8Th Continent” a Tropical Birding Custom Trip
MADAGASCAR: The Wonders of the “8th Continent” A Tropical Birding Custom Trip October 20—November 6, 2016 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos taken during this trip by Ken Behrens Annotated bird list by Jerry Connolly TOUR SUMMARY Madagascar has long been a core destination for Tropical Birding, and with the opening of a satellite office in the country several years ago, we further solidified our expertise in the “Eighth Continent.” This custom trip followed an itinerary similar to that of our main set-departure tour. Although this trip had a definite bird bias, it was really a general natural history tour. We took our time in observing and photographing whatever we could find, from lemurs to chameleons to bizarre invertebrates. Madagascar is rich in wonderful birds, and we enjoyed these to the fullest. But its mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects are just as wondrous and accessible, and a trip that ignored them would be sorely missing out. We also took time to enjoy the cultural riches of Madagascar, the small villages full of smiling children, the zebu carts which seem straight out of the Middle Ages, and the ingeniously engineered rice paddies. If you want to come to Madagascar and see it all… come with Tropical Birding! Madagascar is well known to pose some logistical challenges, especially in the form of the national airline Air Madagascar, but we enjoyed perfectly smooth sailing on this tour. We stayed in the most comfortable hotels available at each stop on the itinerary, including some that have just recently opened, and savored some remarkably good food, which many people rank as the best Madagascar Custom Tour October 20-November 6, 2016 they have ever had on any birding tour. -
Using Molecular Tools to Guide Management of Invasive Alien
Diversity and Distributions, (Diversity Distrib.) (2015) 1–14 BIODIVERSITY Using molecular tools to guide RESEARCH management of invasive alien species: assessing the genetic impact of a recently introduced island bird population J. van de Crommenacker1,2*, Y. X. C. Bourgeois3, B. H. Warren4, H. Jackson2, F. Fleischer-Dogley1, J. Groombridge2 and N. Bunbury1 1Seychelles Islands Foundation, La Ciotat ABSTRACT Building, Mont Fleuri, Mahe, Victoria, Aim Biological invasions are a major threat to island biodiversity and are Seychelles, 2Durrell Institute of Conservation responsible for a large proportion of species declines and extinctions world- and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, wide. The process of hybridization between invasive and native species is a Marlowe Building, Canterbury, Kent, UK, major factor that contributes to the loss of endemic genetic diversity. The issue 3Zoologisches Institut, Evolutionsbiologie, of hybridization is often overlooked in the management of introduced species A Journal of Conservation Biogeography University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, 4051 Basel, because morphological evidence of hybridization may be difficult to recognize Switzerland, 4Institute of Systematic Botany, in the field. Molecular techniques, however, facilitate identification of specific University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, hybridization events and assessment of the direction and timing of introgres- 8008 Zurich, Switzerland sion. We use molecular markers to track hybridization in a population of an island endemic bird, the Aldabra fody (Foudia aldabrana), following the recent discovery of a co-occurring population of non-native Madagascar fodies (Foudia madagascariensis). Location Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles. Methods We combine phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear markers to assess whether hybridization has occurred between F. -
The Sickle-Billed Vanga Falculea Palliata Belongs to the Vangidae, a Family Endemic to Madagascar (Milon Et Al
山階鳥学誌 (J. Yamashina Inst. Ornithol.), 35: 155-158, 2004 The Diet of Adult and Nestling Sickle-billed Vangas Falculea palliata, a Species Endemic to Madagascar Masahiko Nakamura*, Takayoshi Okamiya* and Satoshi Yamagishi** Abstract. The Sickle-billed Vanga Falculea palliata forages by probing its long and slender bill into cracks on the trunks and branches of trees. To determine the diet of adult and nestling Sickle-billed Vangas and the kinds of prey obtained with this foraging technique, six nests in the Ankarafantsika Strict Nature Reserve, western Madagascar, were observed during the November to December nestling periods in 1999 and 2000. Diet was investigated by direct observation. Of the 41 items of prey identified (out of 68 total prey items) in adult Sickle-billed Vangas, crickets, cockroaches, spiders, and grasshoppers constituted 29.3%, 19.5%, 17.1%, and 12.2%, respectively, of the prey items. These four groups together accounted for 78.0% of the identified prey. Parents delivered 1,180 prey items to the nestlings. The most numerous food items were crickets, accounting for 41.6% of 262 identified prey, followed by cockroaches (21.4%) and grasshoppers (15.6%). These three groups together accounted for 78.6% of the identified prey. Sickle-billed Vangas never foraged on the ground but preferred dead trees of five metres or higher for foraging, and it is thus highly probable that all prey items were of arboreal origin. Arboreal cockroaches inhabit holes and cracks on dead trees and branches, and it is likely that Sickle-billed Vangas capture them primarily using the probing technique. -
Ecosystem Profile Madagascar and Indian
ECOSYSTEM PROFILE MADAGASCAR AND INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS FINAL VERSION DECEMBER 2014 This version of the Ecosystem Profile, based on the draft approved by the Donor Council of CEPF was finalized in December 2014 to include clearer maps and correct minor errors in Chapter 12 and Annexes Page i Prepared by: Conservation International - Madagascar Under the supervision of: Pierre Carret (CEPF) With technical support from: Moore Center for Science and Oceans - Conservation International Missouri Botanical Garden And support from the Regional Advisory Committee Léon Rajaobelina, Conservation International - Madagascar Richard Hughes, WWF – Western Indian Ocean Edmond Roger, Université d‘Antananarivo, Département de Biologie et Ecologie Végétales Christopher Holmes, WCS – Wildlife Conservation Society Steve Goodman, Vahatra Will Turner, Moore Center for Science and Oceans, Conservation International Ali Mohamed Soilihi, Point focal du FEM, Comores Xavier Luc Duval, Point focal du FEM, Maurice Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Point focal du FEM, Seychelles Edmée Ralalaharisoa, Point focal du FEM, Madagascar Vikash Tatayah, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Nirmal Jivan Shah, Nature Seychelles Andry Ralamboson Andriamanga, Alliance Voahary Gasy Idaroussi Hamadi, CNDD- Comores Luc Gigord - Conservatoire botanique du Mascarin, Réunion Claude-Anne Gauthier, Muséum National d‘Histoire Naturelle, Paris Jean-Paul Gaudechoux, Commission de l‘Océan Indien Drafted by the Ecosystem Profiling Team: Pierre Carret (CEPF) Harison Rabarison, Nirhy Rabibisoa, Setra Andriamanaitra, -
Nesting of Green-Billed Coucals Centropus Chlororhynchos in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka
FORKTAIL 15 (1999): 43-45 Nesting of Green-billed Coucals Centropus chlororhynchos in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka MARTIN WIJESINGHE [Translated from a Sinhala manuscript by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne] An account of the discovery of a nest of Green-billed Coucals Centropus chlororhynchos is presented with some observations made during the nesting period. Observations indicate that bill colour varies from ivory during breeding to pale green in the post-breeding state. Nests observed were in the tree Wendlandia bicuspidata (family Rubiaceae), leading to speculation that the coucals may have a preference for nesting in this tree. The Green-billed Coucal Centropus chlororhynchos (see daily. The nest-building was repeated over the next few note 1), endemic to Sri Lanka, is slightly smaller than days. However, from 12 October onwards I failed to see the Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis parroti, a familiar the birds there. Nonetheless, as I could hear them calling bird of garden and field. Its bill is slightly larger than in the distance, I suspected they may be nest-building that of the Greater Coucal and has a greenish tinge (see in the area and searched an area of about 20 acres note 2). The male is slightly larger than the female, but without success. I persisted, and on 28 October, on otherwise the sexes are similar. The black feathers on hearing the birds calling at the earlier site, I hastened the head and neck have a purple iridescence but often across. I discovered the birds constructing a new nest the head looks glossy black. The wings are chestnut. -
Madagascar Highlights I 11 Th to 25 Th July 2011 (15 Days)
Madagascar Highlights I 11 th to 25 th July 2011 (15 days) Trip Report Trip report compiled by tour leader: Rainer Summers Tour Summary Sometimes referred to as the “laboratory of evolution”, Madagascar, the huge Indian Ocean island situated 500km off the coast of east Africa, has long attracted the attention of naturalists and travelling birders alike. Our winter tour, although a departure from the standard summer tours to the “Red Isle”, was very successful, and we managed to see a fantastic proportion of the amazing creatures that call Madagascar home. Trip Report RBT Madagascar Highlights I 2011 2 We began our first day with a visit to the Tsimbazaza Zoo, where despite the overcast weather we managed to find Eleonora’s Falcon, Mascarene Martin and the first of many Madagascar Buzzards, while our afternoon at Lake Alarobia proved to be most enjoyable, with large numbers of waterfowl including Knob-billed Duck and Red-billed Teal, Black and Dimorphic Egret, Malagasy Kingfisher and Madagascar Swamp Warbler, before enjoying a sumptuous dinner at our comfortable accommodations. The eastern rainforests of Madagascar harbour a rich assemblage of sought-after mammals and birds, and for this reason the forested zone in the vicinity of Perinet village formed the basis of our explorations for four days. Our time was divided between visits to the reserve at Perinet and the more distant Mantadia National Park, both offering good rainforest birding. Despite the less than optimal weather during our time in Perinet- Mantadia, our hard work and time in the field paid off, and we were rewarded with a mouth-watering selection of eastern rainforest endemics. -
Increasing Use of Exotic Forestry Tree Species As Refuges from Nest Predation by the Critically Endangered Mauritius Fody Foudia Rubra a Ndrew C Ristinacce,Richard A
Increasing use of exotic forestry tree species as refuges from nest predation by the Critically Endangered Mauritius fody Foudia rubra A ndrew C ristinacce,Richard A. Switzer,Ruth E. Cole,Carl G. Jones and D iana J. Bell Abstract The population of the Critically Endangered threatened bird species (Butchart et al., 2006). Rats are the Mauritius fody Foudia rubra fell by 55% over 1975–1993 most widespread and successful invaders on islands, capa- because of habitat destruction and predation. The species ble of causing dramatic declines in local bird populations was believed to be dependent on a small grove of intro- (Penloup et al., 1997; Towns et al., 2006). The Mauritian duced, non-invasive Cryptomeria japonica trees that of- avifauna has also been adversely affected by introduced fered protection from nest predation. We investigated the crab-eating macaques Macaca fascicularis, a predator rarely current population size and distribution of the fody and found as an exotic pest species on oceanic islands (Johnson compared nesting success in forestry plantations to that of & Stattersfield, 1990). a released population on an offshore island. The popula- The population size of the Mauritius fody Foudia rubra, tion size on the mainland has remained stable over the past categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List 10 years, with increases in pine Pinus spp. plantations, but (IUCN, 2007), decreased by 55%over1975–1993 from an esti- continues to decline in areas of predominantly native vege- mated 247–260 to 104–120 pairs, with a parallel contraction 2 2 tation. Only 16% of pairs found were estimated to nest in in extent of occurrence from c. -
MADAGASCAR TRIP REPORT Aug.-‐Sept 2012 John Clark
MADAGASCAR TRIP REPORT Aug.-Sept 2012 John Clark ([email protected]) Our London friends, Dick and Liz Turner, Mary Ward-Jackson and I spent almost 4 weeks in Madagascar. Our primary focus was Birds, But we were also interested in nature more Broadly and culture. The tour was excellently prepared By our guide, Fanomezantsoa Andrianirina (Fano) – who was a perfect guide as well as Being great fun to travel with. The trip was excellent and we ended up seeing 122 of the endemic (and endemic Breeding) Birds of Madagascar, plus 54 non-endemics. Fano was not only an excellent Bird-guide himself, But he had lined up local guides in most of the locations – most of whom were terrific (especially, perhaps, Jaqui in Ampijoroa). Fano is doing much to help develop these local guides as more experienced and confident bird-guides in their own right. The logistics and places to stay were excellent – well, as excellent as an inevitaBle dependence on Madagascar Air permits! (They don’t call it Mad. Air for nothing; it is quite the worst airline I have ever had to use!). Fano’s drivers were also terrific (and keen budding birders!) So our main advice, for those planning a birding (or indeed broader nature/wildlife) trip to Mad. is to use Fano if at all possible. He was totally professional, accurate, dogged, scientifically knowledgeaBle about the Bird, mammals and other species and became a good friend. He can Be contacted By email on [email protected], phone: (+261)32 02 017 91 or website: www.madagascar-funtourguide.com If you want more info on the trip, please email me, and if you’d like to see some of our photos go to: https://picasaweb.google.com/104472367063381721824/Madagascar2012?authkey=Gv1sRgcJH0nYK-wenN9AE# Itinerary Aug. -
Download Download
Biodiversity Observations http://bo.adu.org.za An electronic journal published by the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town The scope of Biodiversity Observations consists of papers describing observations about biodiversity in general, including animals, plants, algae and fungi. This includes observations of behaviour, breeding and flowering patterns, distributions and range extensions, foraging, food, movement, measurements, habitat and colouration/plumage variations. Biotic interactions such as pollination, fruit dispersal, herbivory and predation fall within the scope, as well as the use of indigenous and exotic species by humans. Observations of naturalised plants and animals will also be considered. Biodiversity Observations will also publish a variety of other interesting or relevant biodiversity material: reports of projects and conferences, annotated checklists for a site or region, specialist bibliographies, book reviews and any other appropriate material. Further details and guidelines to authors are on this website. Paper Editor: Les G. Underhill OVERVIEW OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE WEAVERS H. Dieter Oschadleus Recommended citation format: Oschadleus HD 2016. Overview of the discovery of the weavers. Biodiversity Observations 7. 92: 1–15. URL: http://bo.adu.org.za/content.php?id=285 Published online: 13 December 2016 – ISSN 2219-0341 – Biodiversity Observations 7.92: 1–15 1 TAXONOMY Currently, 117 living species of weavers in the Ploceidae family are recognised. Hoyo et al. OVERVIEW OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE WEAVERS (2010) listed 116 species but Safford & Hawkins (2013) split the Aldabra Fody Foudia H. Dieter Oschadleus aldabrana from the Red- headed Fody Foudia Animal Demography Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, eminentissima. Dickinson & University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701 South Africa Christidis (2014) also listed 117 species. -
MADAGASCAR: the Wonders of the “8Th Continent” a Tropical Birding Set Departure
MADAGASCAR: The Wonders of the “8th Continent” A Tropical Birding Set Departure November 3—28, 2013 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos taken during this trip. All photos by Ken Behrens unless noted otherwise. TOUR SUMMARY Madagascar has long been a core destination for Tropical Birding, and with last year’s opening of a satellite office in the country, we have further solidified our expertise in the “Eighth Continent.” This was another highly successful set-departure tour to this special island. It included both the Northwestern Endemics Pre-Trip at the start and the Helmet Vanga extension to the Masoala Peninsula at the end. Although Madagascar poses some logistical challenges, especially in the form of the national airline Air Madagascar, we had no problems on this tour, not even a single delayed flight! The birding was great, with 196 species recorded, including almost all of the island’s endemic birds. As usual, the highlight was seeing all five of the incredible ground-rollers, from the roadrunner-like Long-tailed of the spiny forest to the wonderful rainforest-dwelling Scaly. There was a strong cast of vangas, including Helmet, Bernier’s, and Sickle-billed. In fact, we saw every member of the family save the mysterious Red-tailed Newtonia which is only regularly seen in the far south. As normal, the couas were also a favorite. From the shy and beautiful Red-breasted of Madagascar Set Departure Tour Nov. 3-28, 2013 the eastern rainforest to the huge Giant Coua of the dry western forest, we were looking for and at couas virtually every day! The bizarre mesites form a Malagasy endemic family, and we had superb extended views of all three members of the family.