Madagascar Martin
Riparia cowani
Small, very plain brown swallow with a white belly. Found in a variety of open habitats, including marshes, rice paddies, other agricultural fields, secondary forest, and montane heathland. Found at middle and high elevations, and absent from the lowlands. Most often seen on the wing, sometimes in flocks, which can also contain other species of swallow or swift. Weak, fluttering flight. The common vocalization, usually given in flight, is a short, slightly descending rattling trill. Somewhat similar to Mascarene Martin, but much smaller and plainer, lacking streaking on the underparts.
Taxonomy
The Madagascar martin was formally described in 1882 by the English ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe based on specimens collected by the Scottish naturalist William Deans Cowan in montane southeast Madagascar. Sharpe coined the binomial name Cotile cowani, choosing the specific epithet to honour the collector. It is now one of six martins placed in the genus Riparia that was introduced in 1817 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. The Madagascar martin was formerly considered to be conspecific with the brown-throated martin (Riparia paludicola) but was split based on the different morphology and vocalization. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Riparia cowani
- Authority
- (Sharpe, 1882)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Riparia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Amber Mountain Rock-Thrush
Monticola erythronotus
Chunky, mid-sized robin-like bird. Males are gray and orange, with a rufous back, while females are rich brownish. Highly localized Madagascar endemic that is found only in humid forest on the slopes of Amber Mountain, in the far north. Perches for long periods in the forest understory and mid-story. Variable whistled song is easy to imitate. Female similar to female Madagascar Magpie-Robin, but smaller and without a white patch in the wing.
Loggerhead Kingbird
Tyrannus caudifasciatus
A large flycatcher, mostly found in wooded areas, where it hunts from middle to upper level perches. It is grayish above and whitish below, and usually has a blackish crown and face. Most populations of this species have grayish tail band. Resembles Eastern Kingbird, but Eastern has a bolder white tail band and smaller bill than Loggerhead. The similar Gray Kingbird has a paler head with a dusky mask and a notched tail, whereas the tail is usually squared-off in Loggerhead. Giant Kingbird has a heftier bill and lacks whitish tail band present on Loggerhead. Calls include various trills and chatters.
Bronze Ground Dove
Pampusana beccarii
A rotund, short-legged ground-dwelling dove that usually runs rather than flies when startled. Both sexes have a brown body with bluish-gray chest and head. Males have an iridescent pink shoulder patch. Most obvious identification feature in the field is the glowing white eye-ring of the male, especially in more eastern populations such as those in the Solomon Islands. On mainland New Guinea, the species is a resident of upper-elevation montane forest. No other similar species occur in its altitudinal range. Gives a typical dove-like “woo-oop” call which is quiet and easily missed.
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