This is a brief summary of our itinary or page down to lists of Birds or Animals that we saw
Madagascar Grebe | Tachybaptus pelzelnii | Pool by graphite mine track, Mantadia, only ones we saw |
Great Egret | Ardea alba | Paddyfields, Tana, widespread |
Diamorphic Egret | Egretta dimorpha | Paddyfields, Tana, widespread (we only saw white ones though) |
Squacco Heron | Ardeola ralloides | Paddyfields, Tana, small numbers |
Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | Paddyfields, Tana, very common |
Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | Tsimbazaza Zoo, Tana, one or two birds |
Hamerkop | Scopus umbretta | Outside Fort Dauphin, 3 in a paddyfield |
Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | Outside Brickaville, one flew over road |
Comb Duck | Sarkidiornis melanotos | Berenty, pair on the river |
Red-billed Duck | Anas erythrorhyncha | Outside Fort Dauphin, small flock in lake |
Yellow-billed Kite | Milvus aegyptius | Common at Berenty |
Madagascar Harrier-Hawk | Polyboroides radiatus | Perinet fishponds, one circling round, also a few at Berenty |
Frances' Goshawk | Accipiter francesii | Car park, Mantadia, sat quietly in tree |
Madagascar Sparrowhawk | Accipiter madagascariensis | Berenty, few birds perached in dead trees |
Madagascar Buzzard | Buteo brachypterus | Mantadia, circling overhead |
Madagascar Kestrel | Falco newtoni | Vakona Lodge, Perinet also Berenty |
Banded Kestrel | Falco zoniventris | Spiny forest, Ifaty, one bird perched in tree |
Helmeted Guineafowl | Numida meleagris | Berenty, few birds near 'zoo' |
Subdesert Mesite | Monias benschi | Spiny forest, Ifaty, one bird in tree |
Madagascar Buttonquail | Turnix nigricollis | Berenty, few birds alongside trails |
White-throated Rail | Dryolimnas cuvieri | Perinet (heard only in deep bush by road) |
Common Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | Perinet, Lac Vert, one pair |
Madagascar Pratincole | Glareola ocularis | Bridge outside Brickaville, 3 birds flying |
Common Ringed Plover | Charadrius hiaticula | Beach, Ifaty, few birds feeding |
Madagascar Plover | Charadrius thoracicus | Beach, Ifaty, pair feeding |
Kittlitz's Plover | Charadrius pecuarius | Beach, Ifaty, pair feeding |
White-fronted Plover | Charadrius marginatus | Runway, Ille St Marie., pair in grass |
Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | Pirate cemetry, Ille St Marie, also Ifaty beach |
Common Greenshank | Tringa nebularia | Berenty, few birds on river |
Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | Berenty, few birds on river |
Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres | Beach, Ifaty, few birds feeding |
Curlew Sandpiper | Calidris ferruginea | Beach, Ifaty, one feeding |
Kelp Gull | Larus dominicanus | Fort Dauphin, several patrolling along beach |
Caspian Tern | Sterna caspia | Offshore, Ille St Marie, odd birds flying past |
Lesser Crested Tern | Sterna bengalensis | Offshore, Ille St Marie, odd birds flying by |
Great Crested Tern | Sterna bergii | Offshore, Ille St Marie, several birds flying |
Lesser Noddy | Anous tenuirostri | Offshore, Ille St Marie, small group on sea |
Rock Dove | Columba livia | Tana and most large villages |
Madagascar Turtle-Dove | Streptopelia picturata | Panoramie, Ille St Marie, pair in Palm tree |
Namaqua Dove | Oena capensis | Sisal plantation, Berenty, odd birds on ground |
Madagascar Green-Pigeon | Treron australis | Berenty, small flock one morning in dead trees |
Madagascar Blue-Pigeon | Alectroenas madagascariensis | Mantadia, one or two in forest |
Gray-headed Lovebird | Agapornis canus | Berenty also Spiny Forest |
Vasa Parrot | Coracopsis vasa | Pool by graphite mine track, Mantadia |
Black Parrot (Lesser Vasa) | Coracopsis nigra | Perinet, Berenty and Spiny Forest |
Giant Coua | Coua gigas | Berenty, several in leaf litter |
Running Coua | Coua cursor | Spiny forest, Ifaty, one on nest |
Crested Coua | Coua cristata | Berenty, fairly common, also in Spiny Forest |
Blue Coua | Coua caerulea | Maromiza, Perinet, one bird down a track |
Madagascar Coucal | Centropus toulou | Perinet and Berenty, fairly common |
Malagasy Scops-Owl | Otus rutilus | Perinet, a brownish coloured owl, pair roosting in Birds nest Fern |
Torotoroka Scops-Owl | Otus madagascariensis | Berenty, this is a much greyer bird now split from Malagasy Scops Owl, pair roosting in cactus |
White-browed Owl | Ninox superciliaris | Berenty, pair roosting in thick scrub |
Madagascar Nightjar | Caprimulgus madagascariensis | Heard in Toamasina, one spotlighted in Berenty Spiny Forest |
African Palm-Swift | Cypsiurus parvus | Toamasina, fairly common here |
Madagascar Swift | Apus balstoni | Mantadia, a few alongside the mine road |
Malagasy Kingfisher | Alcedo vintsioides | Orchid gardens, Perinet, one bird hunting along lake edge |
Madagascar Bee-eater | Merops superciliosus | Road to Berenty and road to Ifaty |
Scaly Ground-Roller | Brachypteracias squamigera | Mantadia, eventaually came to tape recording |
Long-tailed Ground-Roller | Uratelornis chimaera | Spiny forest, Ifaty, rounded up by guides |
Cuckoo Roller | Leptosomus discolor | Pool by graphite mine track, Mantadia, noisy display flight |
Madagascar Hoopoe | Upupa marginata | Berenty, few birds along tracks |
Velvet Asity | Philepitta castanea | Perinet, male and females in thick forest |
Sunbird Asity | Neodrepanis coruscans | Maromiza, Perinet, odd birds along path |
Madagascar Lark | Mirafra hova | Sisal plantation, Berenty, sparse but common |
Mascarene Martin | Phedina borbonica | Vakona Lodge, Perinet, common here early morning |
Madagascar Wagtail | Motacilla flaviventris | Vakona Lodge, Perinet, few pairs, pretty tame here |
Ashy Cuckoo-shrike | Coracina cinerea | Perinet, odd birds in forest |
Long-billed Greenbul | Phyllastrephus madagascariensis | Perinet, one or two in thick forest |
Spectacled Greenbul | Phyllastrephus zosterops | Perinet, one or two in thick forest |
Gray-crowned Greenbul | Phyllastrephus cinereiceps | Mantadia, one seen well |
Madagascar Bulbul | Hypsipetes madagascariensis | Vakona Lodge, Perinet, fairly common along the mine track |
Madagascar Brush-Warbler | Nesillas typica | Perinet, seen well near fish ponds |
Sub-desert (Lantz's) Brush-Warbler | Nesillas lantzi | Spiny forest, Ifaty, odd birds in thick scrub |
Madagascar Swamp-Warbler | Acrocephalus newtoni | Maromiza, Perinet, one bird singing on bush |
Common Newtoni | Newtonia brunneicauda | Perinet, pretty common |
Archbold's Newtonia | Newtonia archboldi | Spiny forest, Ifaty, one bird on nest |
Cryptic Warbler | Cryptosylvicola randriansoloi | Car park, Mantadia, singing on high trees early morning |
Madagascar Magpie-Robin | Copsychus albospecularis | Perinet, odd birds in forest, also at Berenty |
African Stonechat | Saxicola torquata | Vakona Lodge, Perinet, common near 'Lemur Island' |
Ward's Flycatcher | Pseudobias wardi | Perinet, odd birds in clearings |
Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher | Terpsiphone mutata | Perinet, pretty common here and Berenty |
Common Jery | Neomixis tenella | Mantadia, odd birds not that common ! |
Stripe-throated Jery | Neomixis striatigula | Maromiza, Perinet, one in thick willow bush |
White-throated Oxylabes | Oxylabes madagascariensis | Perinet, skulker usually low down around tree roots |
Souimanga Sunbird | Cinnyris sovimanga | Vakona Lodge, Perinet, common here and at Ifaty |
Madagascar Sunbird | Cinnyris notatus | Ille St Marie, odd birds in Palm trees |
Madagascar White-eye | Zosterops maderaspatanus | Vakona Lodge, Perinet, common here and at Berenty |
Red-tailed Vanga | Calicalicus madagascariensis | Perinet, fleeting glimpse in forest |
Hook-billed Vanga | Vanga curvirostris | Berenty, odd birds high in trees |
Sickle-billed Vanga | Falculea palliata | Spiny forest, Ifaty, big flock responded to guides calls |
White-headed Vanga | Artamella viridis | Orchid gardens, Perinet, one flew over |
Chabert Vanga | Leptopterus chabert | Vakona Lodge, Perinet, odd birds high in trees |
Blue Vanga | Cyanolanius madagascarinus | Maromiza, Perinet, one bird down entrance track |
Tylas Vanga | Tylas eduardi | Perinet, odd birds in thick forest, also at Mantadia |
Coral-billed Nuthatch | Hypositta corallirostris | Orchid gardens, Perinet, climbing dead tree |
Crested Drongo | Dicrurus forficatus | Orchid gardens, Perinet but common everywhere |
Pied Crow | Corvus albus | Brickaville, few birds in Oil Palm plantations |
Common Myna | Acridotheres tristis | Paddyfields, Tana and most roadsides |
House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Toamasina, few birds at back of hotel |
Nelicourvi Weaver | Ploceus nelicourvi | Perinet, in deep forest |
Sakalava Weaver | Ploceus sakalava | Baobab stop, road to Berenty - also a few nests along roadsides in the west. |
Red Fody | Foudia madagascariensis | Vakona Lodge, Perinet and Tana |
Forest Fody | Foudia omissa | Mantadia, odd birds in forest |
Madagascar Munia | Lonchura nana | Track to Mantadia, small flock |
Bit tricky here to say what is genuinely 'wild' as some parks have introduced free-ranging Lemurs (often well outside their normal range), and in other areas the Lemurs have become habituated to humans and come begging for food.
Brown Mouse Lemur | Microcebus rufus | 2 near Perinet orchid gardens, 1 asleep in an Ants nest Maromiza |
Grey Bamboo Lemur | Hapalemur griseus | Several at Mantadia |
Ring-tailed Lemur | Lemur catta | Common at Berenty, small troop at Nahampoana |
Red-bellied Lemur | Eulemur rubriventer | One by mine track Mantadia, |
Common Brown Lemur | Eulemur fulvus | Perinet Special Reserve |
Black & White Ruffed Lemur | Varecia variagata | Wild ones (heard only) at Matadia |
White-footed Lepilemur | Lepilemur leucopus | One asleep in tree, Berenty |
Eastern Woolly Lemur | Avahi laniger | Perinet Special Reserve |
Verreaux's Sifaka | Propithecus verreauxi | Common at Berenty, small troop at Nahampoana |
Diademed Sifaka | Propithecus diadema | Real struggle but eventually we saw a small group at Mantadia |
Indri | Indri indri | Small numbers at Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia |
Madagascar Flying Fox | Pteropus rufus | Large colony at Berenty |
Humpback Whale | Megaptera novaeangliae | Mother and calf, off Ille St Marie |
Three-eyed Lizard | Chataradon madagascariensis | Berenty |
Leaf-tailed Gecko | Uroplatus sp. | Perinet special reserve |
Day Gecko | Phelsuma sp. | Perinet fish ponds |
Parson's Chameleon | Calumma parsonii | 3 small specimens at Perinet Orchid garden, large tame one in Parc Ivoloina |
Short-nosed Chameleon | Calumma gastrotaenia | 1 small specimen at Perinet Orchid garden |
Tree frog | Perinet Orchid garden | |
Stick Insect | Perinet Orchid garden | |
Giraffe-necked Weevil | Perinet special reserve | |
Ant Lion | Berenty | |
Firefly | Perinet Orchid garden |
If anyone wants further information, please E-Mail me at
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