Helmet vanga

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Helmet vanga
Helmet vanga (Euryceros prevostii).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Vangidae
Genus: Euryceros
Lesson, 1831
Species:
E. prevostii
Binomial name
Euryceros prevostii
Lesson, 1831

The helmet vanga (Euryceros prevostii) is a distinctive-looking bird of the vanga family, Vangidae, and is classified in its own genus, Euryceros. It is mainly blue-black, with rufous wings and a huge arched blue bill. It is restricted to lowland and lower montane rainforests of northeastern Madagascar. Its diet is composed of invertebrates, predominantly insects. The species is threatened by habitat loss.

Contents

Taxonomy

The helmet vanga is the only member of the genus Euryceros. Like most vangas it was originally placed in the shrike family, Laniidae. When the ornithologist Austin L. Rand moved the majority of the vangas into a separate family in 1936, he placed the helmet vanga in its own monotypic family, Eurycerotidae. It was moved to the vanga family by J. Dorst in 1960. The closest relative within the family is believed to be the rufous vanga, which is thought to have split from the helmet vanga 800,000 years ago. [2] The specific name prevostii commemorates the French artist Florent Prévost.

Description

Global distribution Euryceros prevostii distribution.JPG
Global distribution

The helmet vanga is a large vanga, the second-largest species of vanga after the sickle-billed vanga. In length it measures 28 to 31 cm (11–12 in), and it weighs 84 to 114 g (3.0–4.0 oz). The most distinctive feature is the massive hooked bill, which is 51 mm (2.0 in) long and 30 mm (1.2 in) deep. [2] The plumage of the head, neck, throat, breast and belly is a solid blue-black, as are the primary coverts and remiges of the wing. The mantle, the back, and the rest of the wings are rufous. The tail, which is long and broad, is black below and rufous above. The bill is bright blue with a black tip. Both sexes are alike. [2]

Distribution and habitat

It is restricted to lowland and lower montane rainforests in north-eastern Madagascar. Sites where it can be found include Marojejy National Park, Makira Natural Park, the Masoala National Park and Mantadia National Park.

Behaviour

Adults mainly eat large insects, but food items brought to young in the nest may be more varied, including snails, lizards, spiders and crabs.

Breeding

Helmet vangas are monogamous and seasonal breeders. The breeding season runs from October to January on the Masoala Peninsula. Both sexes work on the construction of the nest, which is a cup shape 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter constructed from woven plant fibres, mosses and twigs, and is placed in a fork in a tree 2 to 4 m (6.6–13.1 ft) off the ground. There is one record of courtship feeding by a male before copulation. The clutch size is two or three pinkish white eggs. [3]

Threats and conservation

The helmet vanga is considered to be threatened with extinction due to habitat loss. The species is restricted to undisturbed humid rainforest, and this habitat is increasingly being cleared for agriculture and forestry. Their population, between 6000-15000 mature individuals, is becoming increasingly fragmented. [1] Ecological modelling suggests that much of their remaining habitat will be lost in 50 years due to climate change. Because of these issues the species has been listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. [1]

Related Research Articles

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The family Vangidae comprises a group of often shrike-like medium-sized birds distributed from Asia to Africa, including the vangas of Madagascar to which the family owes its name. Many species in this family were previously classified elsewhere in other families. Recent molecular techniques made it possible to assign these species to Vangidae, thereby solving several taxonomic enigmas. The family contains 40 species divided into 21 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar lowland forests</span> Ecoregion in Eastern Madagascar

The Madagascar lowland forests or Madagascar humid forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion found on the eastern coast of the island of Madagascar, home to a plant and animal mix that is 80 to 90% endemic, with the forests of the eastern plain being a particularly important location of this endemism. They are included in the Global 200 list of outstanding ecoregions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masoala National Park</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site

Masoala National Park, in northeast Madagascar, is the largest of the island's protected areas. Most of the park is situated in Sava Region and a part in Analanjirofo. Created in 1997, the park protects 2,300 square kilometres of rainforest and 100 square kilometres of marine parks. The Masoala Peninsula is exceptionally diverse due to its large size, and variety of habitats. Altogether, the park protects tropical rainforest, coastal forest, flooded forest, marsh, and mangrove. Three marine parks protect coral reefs and a dazzling array of marine life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The Madagascar sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-billed cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The thick-billed cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is monotypic within the genus Pachycoccyx. It can easily be distinguished from other brood parasitic cuckoo species by its very thick bill, which is shaped in a rather hawk-like fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-headed vanga</span> Species of bird

The white-headed vanga is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is monotypic within the genus Artamella. It is endemic to Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar blue vanga</span> Species of bird

The Madagascar blue vanga is a bird species in the family Vangidae. It is found in Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sickle-billed vanga</span> Species of bird

The sickle-billed vanga is a species of bird in the vanga family Vangidae. It is monotypic within the genus Falculea. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are tropical dry forests and tropical dry shrubland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-winged flycatcher-shrike</span> Species of bird

The black-winged flycatcher-shrike is a species of bird in the flycatcher-shrike genus, Hemipus. It is usually placed in the Vangidae. It is found in the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands. Its natural habitats are lowland forests and sometimes swamps and mangroves. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as being of least concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuthatch vanga</span> Species of bird

The nuthatch vanga, also known as the coral-billed nuthatch-vanga and formerly as the coral-billed nuthatch, is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chabert vanga</span> Species of bird

The chabert vanga, also erroneously called "Chabert's vanga", is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is monotypic within the genus Leptopterus. The chabert vanga is the smallest bird in the vanga family when compared to the white-headed vanga and the blue vanga. Their biometrics are typically 14 centimeters in length and their weight ranges from 17 to 26.5 grams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common newtonia</span> Species of bird

The common newtonia is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-billed helmetshrike</span> Species of bird

The red-billed helmetshrike or chestnut-bellied helmetshrike is a species of bird in the Vanga family, Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous vanga</span> Species of bird

The rufous vanga is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is monotypic within the genus Schetba. It is endemic to Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hook-billed vanga</span> Species of bird

The hook-billed vanga is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollen's vanga</span> Species of bird

Pollen's vanga is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is endemic to eastern Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafresnaye's vanga</span> Species of bird

Lafresnaye's vanga is a species of bird in the vanga family Vangidae. The species is monotypic and one of three species in the genus Xenopirostris. It is endemic to the south and south west of Madagascar. It inhabits sub-arid thorn scrub, in the Madagascar spiny forests ecoregion, particularly areas with large amounts of dead wood, from sea level to 100 m (330 ft). The species has a small range is not common within that range. It was uplisted from Least Concern to Near Threatened in 2022 as it is experiencing moderately rapid population decline owing to habitat degradation and loss within its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marojejy National Park</span> National park in the Sava region of northeastern Madagascar

Marojejy National Park is a national park in the Sava region of northeastern Madagascar. It covers 55,500 ha (214 sq mi) and is centered on the Marojejy Massif, a mountain chain that rises to an elevation of 2,132 m (6,995 ft). Access to the area around the massif was restricted to research scientists when the site was set aside as a strict nature reserve in 1952. In 1998, it was opened to the public when it was converted into a national park. It became part of the World Heritage Site known as the Rainforests of the Atsinanana in 2007. "Unique in the world, a place of dense, jungly rainforests, sheer high cliffs, and plants and animals found nowhere else on earth", Marojejy National Park has received plaudits in the New York Times and Smithsonian Magazine for its natural beauty and rich biodiversity that encompasses critically endangered members of the silky sifaka. To that end, a global consortium of conservation organizations, including the Lemur Conservation Foundation, Duke Lemur Center and Madagascar National Parks, have sought to promote research and conservation programs in Marojejy National Park, neighboring Anjanaharibe-Sud Reserve and Antanetiambo Private Reserve, to protect the endemic flora and fauna that reside in northeastern Madagascar. In addition, these organizations have implemented a variety of community-based initiatives to mitigate human encroachment on the park, such as poaching and selective logging, by encouraging local communities to engage in afforestation and silvicultural initiatives to promote a sustainable alternative to mining, slash-and-burn agriculture, and wood collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zahamena National Park</span> National park of eastern Madagascar

Zahamena National Park is a national park of Madagascar. Established in 1997, it covers an area of 423 square kilometres (163.32 sq mi) out of a total protected area of 643 square kilometres (248.26 sq mi). It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Rainforests of the Atsinanana, inscribed in 2007 and consisting of 13 specific areas located within eight national parks in the eastern part of Madagascar. In 2001, Bird Life International assessed avifauna of 112 species of which 67 species are exclusively endemic to Madagascar.

The rufous-bellied helmetshrike or Gabon helmetshrike is a passerine bird belonging to the Vanga family, Vangidae. It inhabits tropical forest in Central Africa. It is sometimes included within the chestnut-bellied helmetshrike of West Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2018). "Euryceros prevostii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22708058A131736320. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22708058A131736320.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Rocamora, Gérard; Yeatman-Berthelot, Dosithée (2009). "Family Vangidae (Vangas)". In del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Christie, David (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 142–170. ISBN   978-84-96553-50-7.
  3. La Marca, Giuseppe; Russell Thorstrom (2000). "Breeding biology, diet and vocalization of the Helmet Vanga, Euryceros prevostii, on the Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar". Ostrich. 71 (3–4): 400–403. doi:10.1080/00306525.2000.9639840. S2CID   84507844.

Further reading