field guides TRIPLIST MADAGASCAR, & REUNION

October 24, 2003 to November 19, 2003

Guided by Terry Stevenson & Jay VanderGaast

With the 2002 political problems that closed down tourism in Madagascar now in the past, we returned with eager anticipation. Ground-rollers and asities, mesites and vangas were all there for the finding. But Madagascar is more than just great ; lemurs, bright green geckos, chameleons, and weird weevils are just some of the delights to look for. As usual plane schedules were changed and our itinerary turned upside down only a few weeks before we departed. Not to worry though, that's the way with Madagascar, and our experience in taking tours there since 1986 puts us in good stead to pull together a great tour.

We started in fine style on Reunion by seeing all the endemics and no fewer than 150 Barau's Petrels — a 'Pterodroma' that we watched from solid ground, some birds passing only 50 meters away. From Reunion it was a short flight to Madagascar — for many of us the highlight of this three-country tour. We connected to Majunga and began the next morning at Ankarafantsika, where some of the most difficult endemics are found. It turned out to be a fabulous day, as we walked in the dry deciduous forest seeing White-breasted Mesite, Coquerel's and Red-capped couas, the rare Van Dam's Vanga, and a stunning male Schlegel's Asity. Madagascar Fish-Eagle just before we departed was the cherry on the cake. We then went to the world-famous reserve at Perinet where again the specialties were falling into place: Madagascar (White-winged) Ibis, Red-breasted Coua, Cuckoo-Roller, and five of vanga. Perhaps the most spectacular, though, was our morning in the adjoining park at Mantadia. Here in just a few hours, we saw Madagascar Grebe, a roosting Collared Nightjar, and both Scaly and Pitta-like ground-rollers.

After a flight to the southeast we drove to Berenty and walked with dozens of lemurs while watching Giant Coua, White-browed Owl, and Hook-billed Vanga. In the southwest, Subdesert Mesite and Long-tailed Ground-Roller were particular favorites in the spiny forest, while Verreaux's Coua and the recently described Red-shouldered Vanga were memorable in the Euphorbia scrub. We then began a series of long drives north as we headed for a fabulous area of rainforest at Ranamofana; but not without stops along the way, finding Appert's Greenbul and Benson's Rock-Thrush without difficulty.

At Ranamofana our luck continued — no rain and no leeches! Brown Mesite was the missing member of this endemic , and eventually we got good close looks. We also did well with several of the real skulkers that inhabit the undergrowth here, including Madagascar Flufftail, Brown Emutail, and Yellow-browed Oxylabes. With just so many fabulous forest birds at Ranamofana it's hard to pick a favorite, but a male Sunbird Asity, within just feet of us, and Rufous-headed Ground-Roller were high on everyone's list.

You may well be wondering why so far I've hardly mentioned anything about Madagascar’s famed 'eyes of the forest,' the lemurs. Did we not see any? On the contrary, it was one of our best tours ever, with mouse lemurs, bamboo lemurs, and Red-bellied Lemur at Ranamofana, hundreds of Ring-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux's Sifakas at Berenty, the striking Coquerel's Sifaka at Ankarafantsika, Diademed Sifaka at Mantadia, and of course the beautiful Indris, whose haunting calls through the forest at Perinet will long be in our memories.

We concluded our tour In Mauritius, an island famed as the former home of the extinct Dodo, and now struggling to keep its surviving endemics alive. Thanks to captive breeding and release programs, several

Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com With the 2002 political problems that closed down tourism in Madagascar now in the past, we returned with eager anticipation. Ground-rollers and asities, mesites and vangas were all there for the finding. But Madagascar is more than just great birds; lemurs, bright green geckos, chameleons, and weird weevils are just some of the delights to look for. As usual plane schedules were changed and our itinerary turned upside down only a few weeks before we departed. Not to worry though, that's the way with Madagascar, and our experience in taking tours there since 1986 puts us in good stead to pull together a great tour.

We started in fine style on Reunion by seeing all the endemics and no fewer than 150 Barau's Petrels — a 'Pterodroma' that we watched from solid ground, some birds passing only 50 meters away. From Reunion it was a short flight to Madagascar — for many of us the highlight of this three-country tour. We connected to Majunga and began the next morning at Ankarafantsika, where some of the most difficult endemics are found. It turned out to be a fabulous day, as we walked in the dry deciduous forest seeing White-breasted Mesite, Coquerel's and Red-capped couas, the rare Van Dam's Vanga, and a stunning male Schlegel's Asity. Madagascar Fish-Eagle just before we departed was the cherry on the cake. We then went to the world-famous reserve at Perinet where again the specialties were falling into place: Madagascar (White-winged) Ibis, Red-breasted Coua, Cuckoo-Roller, and five species of vanga. Perhaps the most spectacular, though, was our morning in the adjoining park at Mantadia. Here in just a few hours, we saw Madagascar Grebe, a roosting Collared Nightjar, and both Scaly and Pitta-like ground-rollers.

After a flight to the southeast we drove to Berenty and walked with dozens of lemurs while watching Giant Coua, White-browed Owl, and Hook-billed Vanga. In the southwest, Subdesert Mesite and Long-tailed Ground-Roller were particular favorites in the spiny forest, while Verreaux's Coua and the recently described Red-shouldered Vanga were memorable in the Euphorbia scrub. We then began a series of long drives north as we headed for a fabulous area of rainforest at Ranamofana; but not without stops along the way, finding Appert's Greenbul and Benson's Rock-Thrush without difficulty.

At Ranamofana our luck continued — no rain and no leeches! Brown Mesite was the missing member of this endemic family, and eventually we got good close looks. We also did well with several of the real skulkers that inhabit the undergrowth here, including Madagascar Flufftail, Brown Emutail, and Yellow-browed Oxylabes. With just so many fabulous forest birds at Ranamofana it's hard to pick a favorite, but a male Sunbird Asity, within just feet of us, and Rufous-headed Ground-Roller were high on everyone's list.

You may well be wondering why so far I've hardly mentioned anything about Madagascar’s famed 'eyes of the forest,' the lemurs. Did we not see any? On the contrary, it was one of our best tours ever, with mouse lemurs, bamboo lemurs, and Red-bellied Lemur at Ranamofana, hundreds of Ring-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux's Sifakas at Berenty, the striking Coquerel's Sifaka at Ankarafantsika, Diademed Sifaka at Mantadia, and of course the beautiful Indris, whose haunting calls through the forest at Perinet will long be in our memories.

We concluded our tour In Mauritius, an island famed as the former home of the extinct Dodo, and now struggling to keep its surviving endemics alive. Thanks to captive breeding and release programs, several offield the birdsguides have made remarkable recoveries; the kestrel has gone from 4 birds to perhaps 800, the Pink Pigeon from about 12 to 350, and the Parakeet from 19 to 120. The Cuckoo-Shrike, Bulbul, White-eye and , however, are not doing so well, but we did manage to get good looks at all of them during our full day in one of the few remaining patches of forest. With such success at finding so many of the endemic birds the tour was now complete and part of the group returned home; the remainder continued on for six days in the Seychelles. List total: 202 taxa and 19 mammal taxa If marked to left of list, * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic mad03-TS

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 2 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Podicipedidae LITTLE GREBE (Tachybaptus ruficollis) PodicipedidaeLITTLEOne atGREBE Lac Alarobia.(Tachybaptus ruficollis) MADAGASCAR GREBE (Tachybaptus pelzelnii) MADAGASCARRather difficult GREBE in recent (Tachybaptus years, but pelzelnii) we saw two very well on a small flooded quarry in Mantadia N.P. Procellariidae BARAU'S PETREL (Pterodroma baraui) BARAU'SHow often PETREL do you (Pterodroma see a 'Pterodroma' baraui) from land? Not only did we see this little known seabird from land, but ProcellariidaeBARAU'Salso about PETREL 150 (Pterodromaof them, and baraui)some only 50 mtrs. away! WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER (Puffinus pacificus) WEDGE-TAILEDAbout four were SHEARWATER seen distantly (Puffinus off Reunion. pacificus) Phaethontidae WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD (Phaethon lepturus) WHITE-TAILEDAbout six at TROPICBIRDReunion and (Phaethona dozen in lepturus)Mauritius. Anhingidae "AFRICAN" DARTER (Anhinga melanogaster rufa) "AFRICAN"Four at LacDARTER Ampijoroa. (Anhinga melanogaster rufa) Fregatidae GREAT FRIGATEBIRD (Fregata minor) GREATNot usuallyFRIGATEBIRD seen on (Fregata this tour, minor) but we had great looks at two over our hotel north of Tulear. Ardeidae GRAY HERON (Ardea cinerea) ArdeidaeGRAYSingles HERON in the (Ardea Majunga cinerea) and Tulear areas. HUMBLOT'S HERON (Ardea humbloti) ArdeidaeHUMBLOT'SWe almost HERON over looked (Ardea this humbloti) one, but then had good looks in our scopes at Lac Ampijoroa. PURPLE HERON (Ardea purpurea) ArdeidaePURPLEAbout HERON six at (Ardeascattered purpurea) sites. GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba) ArdeidaeGREATCommon EGRET on (Ardeawetlands alba) throughout the region. BLACK HERON (Egretta ardesiaca) ArdeidaeBLACKAt least HERON 50 (Egrettawere in theardesiaca) drying-up rice fields near Majunga, and 15+ at Lac Alarobia. "DIMORPHIC" EGRET (Egretta garzetta dimorpha) Ardeidae"DIMORPHIC"Very common EGRET around (Egretta Tana garzettaand at Lac dimorpha) Alarobia, with smaller numbers at scattered sites. SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides) ArdeidaeSQUACCO150+ at HERON Lac Alarobia, (Ardeola and ralloides) about a dozen others at various widespread wetlands. MADAGASCAR POND-HERON (Ardeola idae) ArdeidaeMADAGASCARTwo in beautiful POND-HERON breeding plumage(Ardeola atidae) Lac Alarobia, and one at Lac Ampijoroa. CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis) ArdeidaeCATTLECommon EGRET and (Bubulcuswidespread. ibis) STRIATED HERON (Butorides striatus) ArdeidaeSTRIATEDOnly common HERON on (Butorides the tidal flatsstriatus) at Tulear, where a total of about 20 were seen. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax) BLACK-CROWNEDAbout 12 at Lac NIGHT-HERON Alarobia, and (Nycticoraxa few other nycticorax)singles elsewhere. Scopidae HAMERKOP (Scopus umbretta) HAMERKOPOnly about (Scopus six this umbretta) year; feeds in the highland rice fields. Ciconiidae AFRICAN OPENBILL (Anastomus lamelligerus) AFRICANUncommon OPENBILL in Madagascar, (Anastomus but lamelligerus)we had one at Lac Alarobia. Threskiornithidae

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 3 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Threskiornithidae GLOSSY IBIS (Plegadis falcinellus) ThreskiornithidaeGLOSSYFour inIBIS the (Plegadis north-west. falcinellus) MADAGASCAR (WHITE-WINGED) IBIS (Lophotibis cristata) MADAGASCARThis very difficult (WHITE-WINGED) (and stunning) IBIS forest(Lophotibis ibis was cristata) seen so well at Perinet - the best ever! Anatidae WHITE-FACED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna viduata) AnatidaeWHITE-FACEDVery common WHISTLING-DUCK (350+) at Lac (DendrocygnaAlarobia, with viduata)smaller numbers near Majunga. COMB DUCK (Sarkidiornis melanotos) AnatidaeCOMBTwo DUCK at Lac (Sarkidiornis Alarobia. melanotos) AFRICAN PYGMY-GOOSE (Nettapus auritus) AnatidaeAFRICANThree inPYGMY-GOOSE the flooded rice(Nettapus fields SE auritus) of Majunga. RED-BILLED DUCK (TEAL) (Anas erythrorhyncha) AnatidaeRED-BILLEDCommon atDUCK Lac (TEAL)Alarobia. (Anas erythrorhyncha) HOTTENTOT TEAL (Anas hottentota) HOTTENTOTOne at Lac TEAL Alarobia. (Anas hottentota) Accipitridae MADAGASCAR CUCKOO-HAWK (Aviceda madagascariensis) AccipitridaeMADAGASCAROne was seen CUCKOO-HAWK soaring with a (AvicedaMadagascar madagascariensis) Buzzard at Berenty. BLACK KITE (Milvus migrans) AccipitridaeBLACKCommon KITE and (Milvus widespread. migrans) MADAGASCAR FISH-EAGLE (Haliaeetus vociferoides) MADAGASCARAfter some hardFISH-EAGLE searching (Haliaeetus we finally vociferoides)found one on the far shore of Lac Ampijoroa. The latest figures for this AccipitridaeMADAGASCARrare endemic FISH-EAGLE put the world (Haliaeetus population vociferoides) at about 300 birds. MADAGASCAR HARRIER-HAWK (Polyboroides radiatus) AccipitridaeMADAGASCARAbout six were HARRIER-HAWK seen at different (Polyboroides locations. radiatus) FRANCES'S GOSHAWK (Accipiter francesii) AccipitridaeFRANCES'SThree, at GOSHAWK different sites.(Accipiter francesii) MADAGASCAR BUZZARD (Buteo brachypterus) MADAGASCAROne of the mostBUZZARD widespread (Buteo large brachypterus) birds of prey in Madagascar; we saw about 15. Falconidae MADAGASCAR KESTREL (Falco newtoni) FalconidaeMADAGASCARCommon and KESTREL widespread. (Falco newtoni) (Falco punctatus) MAURITIUSIn the early KESTREL 70's this (Falco species punctatus) was down to 4 birds, but thanks to a captive breeding and release programme FalconidaeMAURITIUSthere may KESTREL be now (Falcoas many punctatus) as 800 birds. We saw two in the lower Black River Gorges. BANDED KESTREL (Falco zoniventris) FalconidaeBANDEDOne in KESTRELthe spiny (Falco forest zoniventris) at Ifaty. ELEONORA'S FALCON (Falco eleonorae) FalconidaeELEONORA'SA single was FALCON seen about(Falco two eleonorae) hours north of Fianarantsoa. SOOTY FALCON (Falco concolor) FalconidaeSOOTYA couple FALCON of the (Falco group concolor) saw two between Tana and Perinet. PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus) PEREGRINEOne near FALCON Ranamofana. (Falco peregrinus) Phasianidae GRAY FRANCOLIN (Francolinus pondicerianus) PhasianidaeGRAYIntroduced FRANCOLIN to Mauritius; (Francolinus we pondicerianus)saw one well in a sugar plantation near Black River. MADAGASCAR PARTRIDGE (Margaroperdix madagascarensis) MADAGASCARCan be very difficultPARTRIDGE and (Margaroperdixoften missed. This madagascarensis) year we had fabulous looks at five right in the grounds of our MADAGASCARhotel at Isalo. PARTRIDGE (Margaroperdix madagascarensis) Numididae HELMETED GUINEAFOWL (Numida meleagris) HELMETEDIntroduced GUINEAFOWL to Madagascar; (Numida we meleagris)saw three.

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 4 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Mesitornithidae WHITE-BREASTED MESITE (Mesitornis variegata) MesitornithidaeWHITE-BREASTEDWe had brief but MESITE good looks (Mesitornis at this littlevariegata) known endemic at Ankarafantsika. BROWN MESITE (Mesitornis unicolor) BROWNPerhaps MESITE the most (Mesitornis difficult unicolor)mesite to see. We had excellent looks at one and heard another (its mate?) at MesitornithidaeBROWNRanamofana. MESITE (Mesitornis unicolor) SUBDESERT MESITE (Monias benschi) SUBDESERTThe third MESITEspecies (Moniasin the family benschi) Mesitornithidae, and the only one in the Monias. Thanks to a our local SUBDESERTguide we sawMESITE both (Monias sexes inbenschi) the spiny forest at Ifaty. Turnicidae MADAGASCAR BUTTONQUAIL (Turnix nigricollis) MADAGASCARA total of seven BUTTONQUAIL were seen at(Turnix three nigricollis)different sites. Rallidae MADAGASCAR FLUFFTAIL (Sarothrura insularis) RallidaeMADAGASCARHeard several FLUFFTAIL times at Perinet(Sarothrura and then insularis) seen well (for a flufftail) at Ranamofana. MADAGASCAR WOOD-RAIL (Canirallus kioloides) RallidaeMADAGASCARTwo were seen WOOD-RAIL by several (Canirallus of the group kioloides) at Ranamofana. WHITE-THROATED RAIL (Dryolimnas cuvieri) RallidaeWHITE-THROATEDExcellent looks at RAIL Isalo (Dryolimnas and then on cuvieri)our way back to Tana. COMMON MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus) COMMONAbout 12MOORHEN were seen (Gallinula at scattered chloropus) sites. Jacanidae MADAGASCAR JACANA (Actophilornis albinucha) MADAGASCARTwo at Lac Ampijoroa.JACANA (Actophilornis albinucha) Rostratulidae GREATER PAINTED-SNIPE (Rostratula benghalensis) GREATERThree inPAINTED-SNIPE the rice fields (RostratulaSE of Majunga. benghalensis) Recurvirostridae BLACK-WINGED STILT (Himantopus himantopus) BLACK-WINGEDAbout a dozen STILT were (Himantopus seen on inland himantopus) pools in the NW and SW. Glareolidae MADAGASCAR PRATINCOLE (Glareola ocularis) MADAGASCARThree on the PRATINCOLE rocky Mangoro (Glareola River. ocularis) Charadriidae BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (Pluvialis squatarola) CharadriidaeBLACK-BELLIEDCommon on the PLOVER coast around(Pluvialis Tulear. squatarola) COMMON RINGED PLOVER (Charadrius hiaticula) CharadriidaeCOMMONAbout aRINGED dozen PLOVERnear Tulear. (Charadrius hiaticula) MADAGASCAR PLOVER (Charadrius thoracicus) CharadriidaeMADAGASCARBecoming difficult PLOVER these (Charadrius days, but thoracicus) we had great looks at four in the Ifaty region. KITTLITZ'S PLOVER (Charadrius pecuarius) CharadriidaeKITTLITZ'SAbout 20 PLOVER north of (Charadrius Tulear. pecuarius) THREE-BANDED PLOVER (Charadrius tricollaris) CharadriidaeTHREE-BANDEDOne near Majunga PLOVER and two(Charadrius north of tricollaris)Tulear. WHITE-FRONTED PLOVER (Charadrius marginatus) CharadriidaeWHITE-FRONTEDAbout six in the PLOVER Tulear (Charadriusregion. marginatus) GREATER SANDPLOVER (Charadrius leschenaultii) GREATERAbout tenSANDPLOVER along the coast (Charadrius around Tulear.leschenaultii) Scolopacidae BAR-TAILED GODWIT (Limosa lapponica) BAR-TAILEDOne near Tulear.GODWIT (Limosa lapponica)

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 5 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Scolopacidae WHIMBREL (Numenius phaeopus) ScolopacidaeWHIMBRELAbout 100 (Numenius in the Tulear phaeopus) region and 9 in Mauritius. COMMON GREENSHANK (Tringa nebularia) ScolopacidaeCOMMONTwenty GREENSHANK in the Tulear (Tringaarea. nebularia) WOOD SANDPIPER (Tringa glareola) ScolopacidaeWOODThree SANDPIPER in the Berenty (Tringa and glareola) Tulear areas. COMMON SANDPIPER (Actitis hypoleucos) ScolopacidaeCOMMONAbout sixSANDPIPER at scattered (Actitis sites. hypoleucos) RUDDY TURNSTONE (Arenaria interpres) ScolopacidaeRUDDYFour TURNSTONEnorth of Tulear. (Arenaria interpres) SANDERLING (Calidris alba) ScolopacidaeSANDERLINGSix north of(Calidris Tulear. alba) CURLEW SANDPIPER (Calidris ferruginea) CURLEWAbout SANDPIPERforty between (Calidris Tulear ferruginea) and Ifaty. Sternidae CASPIAN TERN (Sterna caspia) SternidaeCASPIANTwo on TERN the beach (Sterna south caspia) of Ifaty. GREAT CRESTED TERN (Sterna bergii) SternidaeGREATOne southCRESTED of Ifaty. TERN (Sterna bergii) ROSEATE TERN (Sterna dougallii) SternidaeROSEATEOne at IfatyTERN by (Sterna a couple dougallii) of the group only. COMMON TERN (Sterna hirundo) SternidaeCOMMONForty between TERN (Sterna Tulear hirundo) and Ifaty. SAUNDERS' TERN (Sterna saundersi) SternidaeSAUNDERS'Five between TERN Tulear (Sterna and saundersi) Ifaty. BROWN NODDY (Anous stolidus) BROWNAbout NODDY 20 were (Anous seen stolidus)distantly in Reunion. Pteroclidae MADAGASCAR SANDGROUSE (Pterocles personatus) MADAGASCARAnother widespread SANDGROUSE but difficult (Pterocles endemic, personatus) we had great looks at one SE of Majunga. Columbidae ROCK DOVE (Columba livia) ColumbidaeROCKCommon DOVE and(Columba widespread. livia) PINK PIGEON (Nesoenas mayeri) PINKDown PIGEON to about (Nesoenas twelve mayeri) in the wild in the early 90's, but now after the captive breeding and release programme ColumbidaePINKthey PIGEON are up (Nesoenas to about 300.mayeri) We saw about 20 in the Maccabbe-Mare Forest. MADAGASCAR TURTLE-DOVE (Streptopelia picturata) ColumbidaeMADAGASCARCommon and TURTLE-DOVE widespread in (Streptopelia Madagascar, andpicturata) also a few in Mauritius where they were introduced. SPOTTED DOVE (Streptopelia chinensis) ColumbidaeSPOTTEDIntroduced DOVE to (Streptopelia Mauritius; we chinensis) saw about 20. NAMAQUA DOVE (Oena capensis) ColumbidaeNAMAQUACommon DOVE and widespread(Oena capensis) in the drier areas of Madagascar. ZEBRA DOVE (Geopelia striata) ColumbidaeZEBRAIntroduced DOVE (Geopeliato Reunion striata) and Mauritius where they are common. MADAGASCAR GREEN-PIGEON (Treron australis) ColumbidaeMADAGASCARGood looks atGREEN-PIGEON Ankarafantsika (Treron and Ifaty. australis) MADAGASCAR BLUE-PIGEON (Alectroenas madagascariensis) MADAGASCARAbout 5 where BLUE-PIGEON seen at Perinet (Alectroenas and Ranamofana. madagascariensis) Psittacidae ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET (Psittacula krameri) ROSE-RINGEDIntroduced toPARAKEET Mauritius; (Psittacula we saw about krameri) 20.

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 6 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Psittacidae MAURITIUS PARAKEET (Psittacula echo) MAURITIUSWere down PARAKEET to 19 in (Psittaculathe wild, but echo) now possibly up to 120 after the captive breeding and release programme. PsittacidaeMAURITIUSWe had excellentPARAKEET looks (Psittacula at about echo)20 in the Maccabbe-Mare Forest. GRAY-HEADED LOVEBIRD (Agapornis canus) PsittacidaeGRAY-HEADEDCommon in theLOVEBIRD drier areas (Agapornis of Madagascar. canus) VASA PARROT (Coracopsis vasa) PsittacidaeVASATwo PARROT at Majunga (Coracopsis and four vasa)at Perinet. BLACK PARROT (Coracopsis nigra) BLACKCommon PARROT and widespread.(Coracopsis nigra) Cuculidae MADAGASCAR CUCKOO (Cuculus rochii) CuculidaeMADAGASCARCommon and CUCKOO widespread. (Cuculus rochii) GIANT COUA (Coua gigas) CuculidaeGIANTExcellent COUA looks (Coua at gigas) Berenty where they have become very tame in recent years. COQUEREL'S COUA (Coua coquereli) CuculidaeCOQUEREL'SOne at Ankarafantsika COUA (Coua coquereli)was seen well, two others were seen briefly at Zombitsy. RED-BREASTED COUA (Coua serriana) CuculidaeRED-BREASTEDThis forest species COUA is(Coua rather serriana) local and uncommon, we called one in at Perinet. RED-FRONTED COUA (Coua reynaudii) CuculidaeRED-FRONTEDExcellent looks COUA at (Couatwo at reynaudii) Perinet. RED-CAPPED COUA (Coua ruficeps) CuculidaeRED-CAPPEDThis is the COUAform with(Coua the ruficeps) rufous crown which we saw at Ankarafantsika. RED-CAPPED (OLIVE-CAPPED) COUA (Coua ruficeps olivaceiceps) CuculidaeRED-CAPPEDWe saw about (OLIVE-CAPPED) three of the olive-cappedCOUA (Coua formruficeps at Ifatyolivaceiceps) - often split. RUNNING COUA (Coua cursor) CuculidaeRUNNINGThree atCOUA Ifaty. (Coua cursor) CRESTED COUA (Coua cristata) CuculidaeCRESTEDProbably COUA the most(Coua numerous cristata) and widespread coua, we saw about 40 at various sites. VERREAUX'S COUA (Coua verreauxi) CuculidaeVERREAUX'SRestricted COUAto Euphorbia (Coua verreauxi)scrub on coral rag, we finally caught up with two east of Tulear. BLUE COUA (Coua caerulea) CuculidaeBLUEGood COUA looks (Coua eventually caerulea) at Ranamofana. MADAGASCAR COUCAL (Centropus toulou) MADAGASCARCommon and COUCAL widespread. (Centropus toulou) Strigidae RAINFOREST SCOPS-OWL (Otus rutilus) StrigidaeRAINFORESTHeard repeatedly SCOPS-OWL and seen (Otus in rutilus)flight at Perinet. TOROTOROKA SCOPS-OWL (Otus madagascariensis) StrigidaeTOROTOROKAWe had a good SCOPS-OWL rear end view(Otus of madagascariensis) one at Berenty. WHITE-BROWED OWL (Ninox superciliaris) WHITE-BROWEDExcellent looks OWL at Berenty, (Ninox superciliaris)both by night and by day. Caprimulgidae MADAGASCAR NIGHTJAR (Caprimulgus madagascariensis) CaprimulgidaeMADAGASCARThree or four NIGHTJAR were seen (Caprimulgus at Ifaty, others madagascariensis) were heard at several locations. COLLARED NIGHTJAR (Caprimulgus enarratus) COLLAREDUncommon NIGHTJAR and very (Caprimulgus difficult to see enarratus) well; we owe thanks to our local guide at Mantadia who found us a COLLAREDroosting NIGHTJARbird mid-morning, (Caprimulgus fabulous enarratus) colour and camouflage. Apodidae MASCARENE SWIFTLET (Aerodramus francicus) ApodidaeMASCARENEAbout 20 inSWIFTLET Reunion and(Aerodramus 15 in Mauritius. francicus) MALAGASY SPINETAIL (Zoonavena grandidieri) MALAGASYSmall numbers SPINETAIL over the(Zoonavena forest at grandidieri) Perinet and Zombitsy.

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 7 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Apodidae AFRICAN PALM-SWIFT (Cypsiurus parvus) ApodidaeAFRICANCommon PALM-SWIFT and widespread. (Cypsiurus parvus) ALPINE SWIFT (Tachymarptis melba) ApodidaeALPINETwo singles.SWIFT (Tachymarptis melba) MADAGASCAR SWIFT (Apus balstoni) MADAGASCARAbout 20 were SWIFT seen (Apus at scattered balstoni) locations. Alcedinidae MALAGASY KINGFISHER (Alcedo vintsioides) AlcedinidaeMALAGASYWidespread KINGFISHER in small numbers. (Alcedo vintsioides) MADAGASCAR PYGMY-KINGFISHER (Ispidina madagascariensis) MADAGASCARUnbelievable PYGMY-KINGFISHERlooks at a pair excavating (Ispidina a nestmadagascariensis) hole in the forest at Perinet. Meropidae MADAGASCAR BEE-EATER (Merops superciliosus) MADAGASCARCommon and BEE-EATER widespread. (Merops superciliosus) Coraciidae BROAD-BILLED ROLLER (Eurystomus glaucurus) BROAD-BILLEDWidespread inROLLER small numbers.(Eurystomus glaucurus) Brachypteraciidae SHORT-LEGGED GROUND-ROLLER (Brachypteracias leptosomus) BrachypteraciidaeSHORT-LEGGEDHeard by part GROUND-ROLLER of the group at Ranamofana.(Brachypteracias leptosomus) SCALY GROUND-ROLLER (Brachypteracias squamigera) BrachypteraciidaeSCALYWe hadGROUND-ROLLER excellent looks (Brachypteracias at this difficult speciessquamigera) in Mantadia N.P. PITTA-LIKE GROUND-ROLLER (Atelornis pittoides) BrachypteraciidaePITTA-LIKEThree were GROUND-ROLLER seen well at Mantadia (Atelornis N.P., pittoides) others were heard at Ranamofana. RUFOUS-HEADED GROUND-ROLLER (Atelornis crossleyi) BrachypteraciidaeRUFOUS-HEADEDAnother difficult GROUND-ROLLER forest ground-roller, (Atelornis we saw crossleyi) one well our first afternoon at Ranamofana. LONG-TAILED GROUND-ROLLER (Uratelornis chimaera) LONG-TAILEDGood close looksGROUND-ROLLER in the spiny (Uratelornisforest at Ifaty. chimaera) Leptosomatidae CUCKOO-ROLLER (Leptosomus discolor) CUCKOO-ROLLERWe had great looks(Leptosomus at this fabulous discolor) endemic at several sites. Upupidae MADAGASCAR HOOPOE (Upupa marginata) MADAGASCARAbout 15 at HOOPOE scattered (Upupa locations. marginata) Philepittidae VELVET ASITY (Philepitta castanea) PhilepittidaeVELVETThree ASITYsingles (Philepitta at Ranamofana. castanea) SCHLEGEL'S ASITY (Philepitta schlegeli) PhilepittidaeSCHLEGEL'SOne of the ASITY most (Philepittastunning birds schlegeli) of the tour, we saw two at Ankarafantsika. SUNBIRD ASITY (Neodrepanis coruscans) SUNBIRDWonderful ASITY looks (Neodrepanis this year, includingcoruscans) a gem of a male at Ranamofana. Alaudidae MADAGASCAR LARK (Mirafra hova) MADAGASCARCommon and LARK widespread. (Mirafra hova) Hirundinidae PLAIN (BROWN-THROATED) MARTIN (Riparia paludicola) HirundinidaePLAINLocally (BROWN-THROATED) common in the highlands. MARTIN (Riparia paludicola) MASCARENE MARTIN (Phedina borbonica) MASCARENECommon and MARTIN widespread. (Phedina borbonica) Motacillidae

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 8 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Motacillidae MADAGASCAR WAGTAIL (Motacilla flaviventris) MADAGASCARCommon and WAGTAILwidespread. (Motacilla flaviventris) Campephagidae ASHY CUCKOO-SHRIKE (Coracina cinerea) CampephagidaeASHYWidespread CUCKOO-SHRIKE in forest (Coracinaand woodland. cinerea) MAURITIUS CUCKOO-SHRIKE (Coracina typica) CampephagidaeMAURITIUSThis bird CUCKOO-SHRIKEis now down to about (Coracina 60 pairs, typica) we had good looks at a female. REUNION CUCKOO-SHRIKE (Coracina newtoni) REUNIONWe saw CUCKOO-SHRIKE a single male on (Coracina the Roche newtoni) Ecrite trail. Pycnonotidae RED-WHISKERED BULBUL (Pycnonotus jocosus) PycnonotidaeRED-WHISKEREDIntroduced to BULBULReunion (Pycnonotusand Mauritius jocosus) where it is common. LONG-BILLED GREENBUL (Phyllastrephus madagascariensis) PycnonotidaeLONG-BILLEDSmall numbers GREENBUL in most (Phyllastrephus forest areas. madagascariensis) SPECTACLED GREENBUL (Phyllastrephus zosterops) PycnonotidaeSPECTACLEDAbout eight GREENBUL were seen (Phyllastrephus (including two birdszosterops) on nests) at Perinet and Ranamofana. APPERT'S GREENBUL (Phyllastrephus apperti) APPERT'SRestricted GREENBUL to the Zombitsy (Phyllastrephus Forest, apperti)where we saw four. These so called Madagascar greenbuls are certainly APPERT'Snot 'Phyllastrephus' GREENBUL (Phyllastrephus and recent DNA apperti) work doesn't even put them in the greenbul family. We expect them to be PycnonotidaeAPPERT'Sput in a GREENBUL new family (Phyllastrephus '' in apperti)the near future. GRAY-CROWNED GREENBUL (Phyllastrephus cinereiceps) PycnonotidaeGRAY-CROWNEDAnother very localGREENBUL 'greenbul', (Phyllastrephus we saw two cinereiceps) extremely well at Ranamofana. MADAGASCAR BULBUL (Hypsipetes madagascariensis) PycnonotidaeMADAGASCARCommon and BULBUL widespread. (Hypsipetes madagascariensis) REUNION BULBUL (Hypsipetes borbonicus) PycnonotidaeREUNIONCan be BULBUL difficult (Hypsipetes but we saw borbonicus) them well this year. MAURITIUS BULBUL (Hypsipetes olivaceus) MAURITIUSTwo at Bassin BULBUL Blanc (Hypsipetes were the onlyolivaceus) ones. The world population is estimated at 160 pairs. Turdidae FOREST ROCK-THRUSH (Pseudocossyphus sharpei) TurdidaeFORESTTwo along ROCK-THRUSH the road to (Pseudocossyphus Ranamofana. sharpei) BENSON'S ROCK-THRUSH (Pseudocossyphus bensoni) BENSON'SVery local ROCK-THRUSH and seen very (Pseudocossyphus well, especially singingbensoni) from the roof of our hotel in the Isalo Massif. Cisticolidae MADAGASCAR CISTICOLA (Cisticola cherinus) MADAGASCARCommon and CISTICOLA widespread (Cisticola in open country. cherinus) BROWN EMU-TAIL (Dromaeocercus brunneus) SylviidaeBROWNNormally EMU-TAIL a real (Dromaeocercussuper skulker, but brunneus) we had positively extrovert birds this year. GRAY EMU-TAIL (Dromaeocercus seebohmi) SylviidaeGRAYSimply EMU-TAIL great looks(Dromaeocercus in a marsh nearseebohmi) Ranamofana. MADAGASCAR BRUSH-WARBLER (Nesillas typica) SylviidaeMADAGASCARCommon in forest.BRUSH-WARBLER (Nesillas typica) MADAGASCAR (SUBDESERT) BRUSH-WARBLER (Nesillas typica lantzii) SylviidaeMADAGASCARCommon in spiny(SUBDESERT) forest. BRUSH-WARBLER (Nesillas typica lantzii) THAMNORNIS (Thamnornis chloropetoides) SylviidaeTHAMNORNISAbout three (Thamnornis were seen inchloropetoides) the spiny forest at Ifaty. MADAGASCAR SWAMP-WARBLER (Acrocephalus newtoni) SylviidaeMADAGASCARTwo in a marsh SWAMP-WARBLER near Perinet. (Acrocephalus newtoni) RAND'S WARBLER (Randia pseudozosterops) RAND'SGood WARBLERlooks at Perinet (Randia and pseudozosterops) heard frequently at Ranamofana.

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 9 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Sylviidae DARK NEWTONIA (Newtonia amphichroa) SylviidaeDARKTwo NEWTONIA at Ranamofana. (Newtonia amphichroa) COMMON NEWTONIA (Newtonia brunneicauda) SylviidaeCOMMONCommon NEWTONIA and widespread. (Newtonia brunneicauda) ARCHBOLD'S NEWTONIA (Newtonia archboldi) SylviidaeARCHBOLD'SGood looks NEWTONIA in the spiny (Newtonia forest. archboldi) CRYPTIC WARBLER (Cryptosylvicola randrianasoloi) CRYPTICTwo in WARBLERthe higher (Cryptosylvicolaparts of Ranamofana. randrianasoloi) Muscicapidae MADAGASCAR MAGPIE-ROBIN (Copsychus albospecularis) MuscicapidaeMADAGASCARCommon and MAGPIE-ROBIN widespread. (Copsychus albospecularis) AFRICAN STONECHAT (Saxicola torquata) MuscicapidaeAFRICANCommon STONECHAT in the eastern (Saxicola highlands. torquata) REUNION STONECHAT (Saxicola tectes) REUNIONCommon STONECHAT along the Roche(Saxicola Ecrite tectes) trail. Platysteiridae WARD'S FLYCATCHER (Pseudobias wardi) WARD'SNot really FLYCATCHER a flycatcher (Pseudobias as it's related wardi) to the batises and wattle-eyes of Africa. Ward's Shrike-Flycatcher is a WARD'Sbetter FLYCATCHERname; we saw (Pseudobias about eight wardi)at Perinet and one at Ranamofana. Monarchidae MADAGASCAR PARADISE-FLYCATCHER (Terpsiphone mutata) MonarchidaeMADAGASCARCommon and PARADISE-FLYCATCHER widespread. (Terpsiphone mutata) MASCARENE PARADISE-FLYCATCHER (Terpsiphone bourbonnensis) MASCARENEFive along PARADISE-FLYCATCHERthe Roche Ecrite trail Reunion. (Terpsiphone bourbonnensis) Timaliidae COMMON JERY (Neomixis tenella) TimaliidaeCOMMONCommon JERY and (Neomixiswidespread tenella) throughout Madagascar. GREEN JERY (Neomixis viridis) TimaliidaeGREENCommon JERY at (Neomixis Perinet and viridis) Ranamofana. STRIPE-THROATED JERY (Neomixis striatigula) TimaliidaeSTRIPE-THROATEDOccurs in both rain JERY forest (Neomixis and dry striatigula) spiny forest, we saw about 14 and heard many more. WEDGE-TAILED JERY (Neomixis flavoviridis) TimaliidaeWEDGE-TAILEDGood looks at JERYthree (Neomixisat Ranamofana. flavoviridis) WHITE-THROATED OXYLABES (Oxylabes madagascariensis) TimaliidaeWHITE-THROATEDHard to see in the OXYLABES forest undergrowth, (Oxylabes madagascariensis) but eventually we all got to see this species at Ranamofana. YELLOW-BROWED OXYLABES (Crossleyia xanthophrys) TimaliidaeYELLOW-BROWEDAnother very hard OXYLABES forest undergrowth (Crossleyia xanthophrys)bird. We had extremely good looks this year at Ranamofana. CROSSLEY'S BABBLER (Mystacornis crossleyi) CROSSLEY'SBrilliant looks BABBLER at a bird (Mystacornis which walked crossleyi) right up to us at Ranamofana. Nectarinidae SOUIMANGA SUNBIRD (Cinnyris sovimanga) NectarinidaeSOUIMANGACommon and SUNBIRD widespread. (Cinnyris sovimanga) MADAGASCAR SUNBIRD (Cinnyris notatus) MADAGASCARAbout 10 at SUNBIRDdifferent (Cinnyrissites. notatus) Zosteropidae MADAGASCAR WHITE-EYE (Zosterops maderaspatanus) ZosteropidaeMADAGASCARCommon and WHITE-EYE widespread. (Zosterops maderaspatanus) MASCARENE WHITE-EYE (Zosterops borbonicus) MASCARENEWe saw two WHITE-EYE forms which (Zosterops are sometimes borbonicus) split; 'borbonicus' on Reunion, and 'mauritianius' on Mauritius. Both MASCARENEare common. WHITE-EYE (Zosterops borbonicus)

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 10 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Zosteropidae REUNION OLIVE WHITE-EYE (Zosterops olivaceus) ZosteropidaeREUNIONAbout OLIVE50 along WHITE-EYE the Roche (Zosterops Ecrite trail. olivaceus) MAURITIUS WHITE-EYE (Zosterops chloronothos) MAURITIUSNow down WHITE-EYE to 60 pairs (Zosterops maximum, chloronothos) we saw a single bird. Vangidae RED-TAILED VANGA (Calicalicus madagascariensis) VangidaeRED-TAILEDCommon inVANGA the forests (Calicalicus at Perinet madagascariensis) and Ranamofana, and a single at Ifaty. RED-SHOULDERED VANGA (Calicalicus rufocarpalis) VangidaeRED-SHOULDEREDWe had great looks VANGA at a (Calicalicusmale of this rufocarpalis)recently described species in the Euphorbia scrub east of Tulear. RUFOUS VANGA (Schetba rufa) VangidaeRUFOUSTwo atVANGA Ankarafantsika. (Schetba rufa) HOOK-BILLED VANGA (Vanga curvirostris) VangidaeHOOK-BILLEDSeen briefly VANGA by a few (Vanga at Ankarafantsika, curvirostris) but then well by everyone at Berenty. LAFRESNAYE'S VANGA (Xenopirostris xenopirostris) VangidaeLAFRESNAYE'STwo at Ifaty. VANGA (Xenopirostris xenopirostris) VAN DAM'S VANGA (Xenopirostris damii) VangidaeVANNow DAM'S very VANGArare and (Xenopirostris difficult to see; damii) we eventually got good looks at one at Ankarafantsika, the only site. POLLEN'S VANGA (Xenopirostris polleni) VangidaePOLLEN'SAnother VANGA very local (Xenopirostris vanga, we sawpolleni) one well at Ranamofana. SICKLE-BILLED VANGA (Falculea palliata) VangidaeSICKLE-BILLEDSeen well at VANGAAnkarafantsika (Falculea and palliata) Ifaty. WHITE-HEADED VANGA (Artamella viridis) VangidaeWHITE-HEADEDWe saw about VANGA 15 at widely(Artamella scattered viridis) sites.. CHABERT VANGA (Leptopterus chabert) VangidaeCHABERTThe most VANGA common (Leptopterus and widespread chabert) vanga, we saw a total of about 70. BLUE VANGA (Cyanolanius madagascarinus) VangidaeBLUEA total VANGA of about(Cyanolanius 14 were madagascarinus) seen in different forested areas. TYLAS VANGA (Tylas eduardi) VangidaeTYLASThree VANGA were seen (Tylas at eduardi)Perinet and others heard at Ranamofana. CORAL-BILLED NUTHATCH (NUTHATCH VANGA) (Hypositta corallirostris) CORAL-BILLEDA single male NUTHATCH was seen by (NUTHATCH about half VANGA)of the group (Hypositta at Perinet. corallirostris) Dicruridae CRESTED DRONGO (Dicrurus forficatus) CRESTEDCommon DRONGO and widespread. (Dicrurus forficatus) Corvidae HOUSE CROW (Corvus splendens) CorvidaeHOUSEIntroduced CROW (Corvusto Mauritius splendens) where we saw three. PIED CROW (Corvus albus) PIEDCommon CROW (Corvusin Madagascar. albus) Sturnidae MADAGASCAR STARLING (Saroglossa aurata) SturnidaeMADAGASCARRather local, STARLINGwe saw seven (Saroglossa at Perinet aurata) and two at Ranamofana. (Acridotheres tristis) COMMONCommon MYNA and widespread(Acridotheres and tristis)introduced. Passeridae HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus) HOUSECommon SPARROW on Reunion (Passer and domesticus) Mauritius where they are introduced. ( cucullatus) VILLAGEIntroduced WEAVER to Reunion (Ploceus and cucullatus) Mauritius, we saw a total of about 70.

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 11 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Ploceidae (Ploceus nelicourvi) PloceidaeNELICOURVIGood looks WEAVER in the forests (Ploceus at Perinetnelicourvi) and Ranamofana. (Ploceus sakalava) PloceidaeSAKALAVACommon WEAVERin the western (Ploceus dry sakalava)country. (Foudia madagascariensis) PloceidaeREDCommon FODY (Foudia and widespread madagascariensis) in Madagascar, and also in Reunion and Mauritius where they were introduced. (Foudia omissa) PloceidaeFORESTA single FODY hybrid (Foudia (with omissa) Red Fody) at Ranamofana. (Foudia rubra) MAURITIUSNow less FODYthan 100(Foudia pairs rubra) and can be very difficult to see. We were lucky this year and had super looks at MAURITIUSseveral males FODY and(Foudia a female rubra) in the Maccabbe-Mare forest. Estrildidae COMMON WAXBILL (Estrilda astrild) EstrildidaeCOMMONIntroduced WAXBILL to Mauritius; (Estrilda we astrild) saw about 20. MADAGASCAR MUNIA (Lonchura nana) EstrildidaeMADAGASCARSmall numbers MUNIA were (Lonchura widespread nana) in Madagascar. NUTMEG MANNIKIN (Lonchura punctulata) NUTMEGAbout MANNIKIN10 on Reunion (Lonchura and one punctulata) on Mauritius where they are introduced. Fringillidae YELLOW-FRONTED CANARY (Serinus mozambicus) FringillidaeYELLOW-FRONTEDIntroduced to Mauritius; CANARY we(Serinus saw two.mozambicus)

MAMMALS STREAKED TENREC (Hemicenteteus semispinosus) MAMMALSSTREAKEDThree at TENRECPerinet (including(Hemicenteteus one swimming), semispinosus) and oone at Ranamofana. FRUIT BAT SP. (Pteropus subniger) MAMMALSFRUITOften BAT know SP. as(Pteropus Mauritius subniger) Fruit Bat, we saw about 12. MADAGASCAR FRUIT BAT (Pteropus rufus) MAMMALSMADAGASCARAbout 50 were FRUIT seen BAT at the(Pteropus day roost rufus) in Berenty. EASTERN MOUSE-LEMUR (Microcebus murinus smithii) MAMMALSEASTERNGreat looks MOUSE-LEMUR at these fabulous (Microcebus tiny lemurs murinus feeding smithii) on banana near the old research camp in Ranamofana. WESTERN MOUSE-LEMUR (Microcebus murinus murinus) MAMMALSWESTERNAlso known MOUSE-LEMUR as Grey Mouse (Microcebus Lemur, wemurinus saw three murinus) at Berenty. GREATER DWARF LEMUR (Cheirogaleus major) MAMMALSGREATERWe did DWARFvery well LEMUR with this(Cheirogaleus nocturnal speciesmajor) this year, seeing five at Perinet and two at Ranamofana. BROWN LEMUR (Lemur fulvus fulvus) MAMMALSBROWNWe saw LEMUR a total (Lemur of about fulvus 20 fulvus)at Perinet and Ranamofana. RED-FRONTED LEMUR (Lemur fulvus rufus) MAMMALSRED-FRONTEDAbout 80 at LEMUR Berenty. (Lemur fulvus rufus) RED-BELLIED LEMUR (Lemur rubriventer) MAMMALSRED-BELLIEDWe saw about LEMUR a dozen (Lemur of thisrubriventer) attractive species at Ranamofana. RING-TAILED LEMUR (Lemur catta) MAMMALSRING-TAILEDVery very LEMURcommon (Lemur at Berenty. catta) GRAY BAMBOO (GENTLE) LEMUR (Hapalemur griseus) MAMMALSGRAYOne BAMBOO in Mantadia (GENTLE) and two LEMUR at Ranamofana. (Hapalemur griseus) MILNE-EDWARDS'S WEASEL LEMUR (Lepilemur mustelinus edwardsi) MAMMALSMILNE-EDWARDS'SThis nocturnal species WEASEL was LEMUR seen at(Lepilemur its day roost mustelinus in the forestedwardsi) at Ankarafantsika. DRY-BUSH WEASEL LEMUR (Lepilemur mustelinus leucopus) MAMMALSDRY-BUSHAnother WEASELnocturnal LEMUR species, (Lepilemur this one mustelinuswas at Berenty. leucopus) AVAHI (WOOLY LEMUR) (Avahi laniger) AVAHISometimes (WOOLY split LEMUR) as the (Avahi Eastern laniger) Avahi, we saw a huddled ball of three at Perinet.

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 12 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com MAMMALS VERREAUX'S SIFAKA (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi) MAMMALSVERREAUX'SAbout 75 atSIFAKA Berenty. (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi) COQUEREL'S SIFAKA (Propithecus verreauxi coquereli) MAMMALSCOQUEREL'SWe saw about SIFAKA 10 of(Propithecus this striking verreauxi species atcoquereli) Ankarafantsika. DIADEMED SIFAKA (Propithecus diadema) MAMMALSDIADEMEDWe saw SIFAKAtwo forms (Propithecus which are oftendiadema) split; nominate at Mantadia N.P. and 'P. d. edwardsi' at Ranamofana. INDRIS (Indri indri) MAMMALSINDRISWe had(Indri exceptional indri) close up looks at Indris this year. STRIPED CIVET (Fossa fossana) STRIPEDWe saw CIVET (and (Fossafed) two fossana) at Ranamofana.

MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS & REUNION 13 Field Guides Incorporated 800-728-4953 512-263-7295 [email protected] www.fieldguides.com Additional Comments

In addition to all the birds and lemurs we saw we also had a fabulous tour for chameleons, geckos, lizards and snakes. Among the more memorable ones we encountered and identified were the bright green 'Phelsuma' geckos, with 'madagascariensis' and 'lineata' at Perinet, and 'quadriocellata' at Ranamofana. The 'Paroedura picta' Big-headed Gecko at Berenty was great, but nothing compared to the two incredible Leaf-tailed Geckos we saw; first, the big upside down, amazingly camouflaged, 'Uroplatus fimbriatus' at Perinet, and then the tiny, 'Uroplatus phantasticus' at Ranamofana - both truly incredible finds!

Big lizards included the black-collared 'Oplurus cuvieri' and 'Zonosaurus laticaudatus' - the Plated Lizard at Ankarafantsika, and 'Oplurus quadriomaculatus' in the Isalo Massif. We also saw several species of skink-like Mabuya lizards, and the Three-eyed Lizard 'Chalaradon madagascariensis' at both Berenty and Ifaty.

A few snakes were seen poorly but we did get good looks at a thin, striped sand snake 'Dromicodryas bernieri', and the Madagascar Boa 'Sanzinia madagascariensis'.

As expected we also saw some wonderful chameleons, including enormous Oustalet's 'Chamaeleo oustaleti' in the Isalo Massif; another big one was Parson's 'Calumma nasuta' at Perinet, 'Chamaeleo brevicornis' also at Perinet; and 'Chamaeleo nasutus' at Ranamofana.

Hissing Cockroach at Ifaty also deserves a mention, although some may prefer it if we didn't.

We had good daytime looks at several unidentified bats with white bellies - we called them White-bellied Bat! mad03-TS

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