Madagascar's Avifauna

The modern avifauna of Madagascar comprises a total of 282 species, two of which are recently extinct. Of the 280 living species, 208 are locally breeding (74%), and the other 72 don’t breed on the island (26%), including a large number of migratory1 species. Among those migratory species, there are four which do breed on the island (Ardeola idae, Glareola ocularis, Cuculus rochii, and Eurystomus glaucurus). Next, at least four species present in nature have been introduced to Madagascar by human beings (Columba livia, Acridotheres tristis, Passer domesticus, and Estrilda astrild) and another (Numida meleagris) was possibly introduced.

Acridotheres tristis is currently found throughout Madagascar and with the rapid increase in its population, it will be a significant ecological catastrophe if appropriate measures are not taken.
The extraordinary thing about the avifauna of the island is the level of endemism, at higher taxonomic levels and at the level of species. Within the first category, seven groups can be cited as endemic above the level of genus: the family Mesitornithidae or the mesites, the subfamily Couinae or the couas, the family Brachypteraciidae or the ground-rollers, the family Leptosomidae or the cuckoo-roller, the subfamily Philepittinae or the asities, the family Bernieridae or the Malagasy warblers, and the family Vangidae or the vangas. The island also possesses a number of endemic genera also living in African and Eurasia, but these are not of primary interest for this book. The second surprising characteristic of the Malagasy avian community is its paucity of species compared to other tropical countries despite the remarkable heterogeneity of habitats in Madagascar.

Among the 282 species of birds (208 nonpasserine and 75 passerine) known on the island, 104 are endemic (37%). Fifty-two species of passerine are endemic (69%) and 52 nonpasserine (25%). This seems to indicate a higher degree of endemism among the passerines, which for the most part originated in Africa, arriving by flying over the Mozambique canal and remaining isolated from continental populations, and this leading to the speciation of endemic species.
Madagascar has one of the highest levels on endemism in the world, which is another reason for the Malagasy people to be proud of their unique natural heritage and devote themselves to its protection.
The number of species of birds known in Madagascar has increased over time. This is associated with the discovery of migratory species or those that have lost their way and show up on the island, and those endemic taxa which were previously unknown to science due to, among other things, insufficient exploration of the land and the expansion of molecular genetics. A recent example of the addition of a migratory species to the list of Malagasy birds is Larus hemprichii, which has been observed and photographed in South Toliara. This species breeds in the region of the Red Sea but it is known for wandering occasionally to the Indian Sea.
Over the course of recent decades, a certain number of endemic species new to science have been described by ornithologists, including those belonging to the seven groups mentioned earlier, notably the description of a new genus and species, Cryptosylvicola randrianasoloi (family Bernieridae), and many species in formerly known genera, including Xanthomixis apperti (family Bernieridae) and Calicalicus rufocarpalis (family Vangidae). Also, in recent years, new species have been described in endemic genera, like Mentocrex beankaensis (family Rallidae). It is certain that in coming years, other migratory species will be recorded for the first time on the island and new species will be discovered, based on land surveys or the results of studies in molecular genetics. Therefore, contrary to what you might expect, the discovery of new birds in Madagascar has not finished.