Madagascar Cuckooshrike
Ceblepyris cinereus
Medium-sized, gray vanga-like bird with a black hood. The underparts are dark gray in most of the range and pale gray in the southwest. Found in all types of forest, and sometimes in scrub and plantations. Often joins mixed flocks with other mid-sized birds. Most common vocalizations are an accelerating high-pitched series and a mild, chatty series of “chew” and “tew” notes. Shows gray underparts, unlike any similar vanga. Smaller-billed than Pollen’s, Van Dam’s, and Lafresnaye’s Vangas.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ceblepyris cinereus
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Campephagidae
- Genus
- Ceblepyris
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow-crowned Canary
Serinus flavivertex
Colorful seedeater with an olive-green back, black wings with two yellow wingbars, and a mostly yellow head and underparts. Females and immatures are duller, with more brown tones and streaking. Found in open montane habitats including grassland, cultivation, forest edge, and heath. The song is a high-pitched, twittering jumble. Similar to White-bellied Canary, but found in different habitat, has bolder wingbars, and lacks a moustache facial mark.
Malagasy Bulbul
Hypsipetes madagascariensis
Medium-sized gray bird with a black cap and carrot-colored bill. Found in virtually all habitats with a woody component, including forest, scrub, villages, and plantations. Often in groups, and occasionally joins mixed feeding flocks with other bird species. Vocal bird that frequently gives a whining call and a long rattling song. Similar in size to Madagascar Cuckooshrike, but has an orange bill and a black cap rather than a dark hood. Gray underparts separate Malagasy Bulbul from all vangas.
Rufous-tailed Attila
Attila phoenicurus
Quite large flycatcher found at all levels of humid forests including Araucaria forests. The upperparts are a deep rufous contrasting with a mostly gray head and paler orange underparts. Typically perches almost motionless, but its voice is a far-carrying whistled “fee-fee-fii,” repeated for long periods all day long. Looks similar to the larger Gray-hooded Attila, but has a rufous rather than gray throat. In the nonbreeding season migrates north into northern Amazonia.
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