Madagascar Magpie-Robin
Copsychus albospecularis
Elegant, robin-like bird with a long tail. Males are bluish-black and white. Females are brown and buff. Both sexes show a white slash in the wing. There is regional variation: western birds have white in the tail and more white in the wing; northeastern males have a black belly. Common Madagascar endemic that is found in the understory of all forest types, as well as in scrub, plantations, and gardens. Pretty song is a conversational phrase of whistles, whines, and rattles. Much larger than African Stonechat, and usually doesn’t sit in the open. Females separated from female rock-thrushes by their white wing patch.
Identification
The Madagascar magpie-robin is around 18 cm (7 in) in length and weighs 21 to 24 g (0.74–0.85 oz). The plumage varies by sex; the male of the nominate subspecies has all-black plumage with a white shoulder patch and the female has a grey-brown crown, back and tail, grey-breast and throat and rufous wings and rump. The males of the other two subspecies have more white of the wings and a white abdomen; the female of C. a. pica is much paler overall.
Taxonomy
The Madagascar magpie-robin is closely related to the Seychelles magpie-robin and the Oriental magpie-robin, and may form a superspecies with them. The species is endemic to Madagascar, where it is found across the island. Its distribution is sometimes scattered, as it occupies a wide range of habitats and can be very common or fairly rare depending on this. Three subspecies have been described: the nominate subspecies from northeastern Madagascar, C. a. inexpectatus from eastern and southeastern Madagascar and C. a. pica , which occupies the rest of the country. There is, however, considerable overlap between the subspecies and the exact boundaries between their ranges is unclear.
- Scientific name
- Copsychus albospecularis
- Authority
- (Eydoux & Gervais, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Copsychus
Range and habitat
Madagascar magpie-robins occupy most of the habitats available on the island, from scrubland to dry monsoon forest, humid rainforest, forest edge, mangrove forests, secondary growth, as well as a variety of agricultural land including gardens, banana, coffee and eucalyptus plantations. They can be found from sea level to 1,800 m (5,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Madagascar magpie-robin feeds in insects, including cockroaches, beetles, bugs and grasshoppers, as well as spiders, earthworms, small lizards and amphibians. They will also take berries. They forage near the ground, and exhibit some niche differentiation between the sexes, with females feeding more regularly on the ground and males feeding higher up in the undergrowth. They also sometimes join mixed-species foraging flocks.<p>Madagascar magpie-robins are territorial, with pairs defending territories that vary in size depending on habitat type, ranging from less than 1 ha (2.5 acres) to 6 ha (15 acres). Territories in heavy rainforest or moist montane forest are smaller than those in scrubland. The nest is a cup made from grasses, leaf stalks and lined with rootlets, snakeskin and the hair of lemurs or cattle. The nest is placed in cavities in walls, in hollows in stumps or in dense vegetation. An average clutch size is three eggs (the range is from two to five) and these are incubated for about 13 days. Both parents feed the chicks in the nest for 17 days, and the young continue to be fed outside the nest for at least another six days. Chicks may associate with their parents in small flocks for at least 18 days after fledging. This species is often targeted by the predatory Madagascar sparrowhawk.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Barred Becard
Pachyramphus versicolor
Becards are reminiscent of flycatchers but in a different family; they are medium sized and have a rather flat head. Barred is small for a becard; males have a distinctive yellow face, black cap and back, and thin barring on the underparts. Females have a gray cap, rufous wings, and more even yellow underparts. Singles or pairs are found in forested areas, including edges and second growth. Not usually super high in the trees.
Red-shouldered Blackbird
Agelaius assimilis
A mostly black inhabitant of swamps and marshes. The male has a telltale orange-red shoulder patch with pale yellow trim, which the female lacks. Both sexes of Tawny-shouldered Blackbird have a yellow-orange shoulder, though the shoulder color is sometimes only visible in flight. The Shiny Cowbird lacks a shoulder patch, is quite glossy, and has a shorter and stouter bill than Red-shouldered Blackbird. The call is a “chut” or “chut-chut” and song is a shrill “Shuh-reee-eee.”
Butterfly Coquette
Lophornis verreauxii
Tiny hummingbird with a white rump band and rusty tail. Adult male is stunning, with a flowing, glittering green beard ending in white spots, an iridescent green face, and a small crest. Female and young male are much plainer than male, but they typically have a white throat with dark patch in the middle, and lack the buffy or rusty tones on the underparts shown by females of several similar species. Distinguished from female Peacock Coquette by lack of streaking on the throat. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill forest and is quite scarce in most of its range. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of Festive Coquette.
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