Madagascar - Overview
A Sunbird/Wings tour focussing on seeing most of the endemic bird species, but also seeing mammals, notably lemurs and other wildlife.
Madagascar has only ~265 bird species, but ~120 of these are endemic (found nowhere else). There are 6 endemic families Mesites, Cuckoo-roller, Ground-rollers, Asities, Tetrakas and Vangas. I saw 151 bird species on this tour, 115 of these were new to me.
Madagascar has 5 clades of native mammals - lemurs, tenrecs, rodents, mongooses and bats. The first 4 groups are each thought to have arrived as single colonisation events from animals making the journey from mainland Africa on rafts - and then diversified enormously. There are currently 87 species of lemur and 29 species of tenrec. We saw 22 species of Lemur on this tour. All Madagascar's native mammals are endemic.
Madagascar lies in the Indian Ocean about 500km from the SE African coast; it is the world's 4th largest island with a ~NS length of 1600km and an ~EW width of 580km. It is divided into 3 main regions running north-south: a broad area of central highlands, eastern rainforest and western drier forest; additionally the southern coastal fringe is subdesert with a characteristic range of spiny vegetation and baobabs.
Much of Madagascar has been deforested (a process that is continuing with little control), so that only 4% of the native forest remains. Nearly all the endemic wildlife is confined to the native forest. Our visit concentrated on seeing some of the areas of this remnant primary habitat. We passed through or over vast areas of degraded land en route between these areas.
Madagascar has a population of 23 million, 41% of which is <15 and only 3%>65. Life expectancy is 63 for men, 66 for women. 93% live on <$2/day.
Madagascar was a French colony and French is the lingua franca.
Madagascar has only ~265 bird species, but ~120 of these are endemic (found nowhere else). There are 6 endemic families Mesites, Cuckoo-roller, Ground-rollers, Asities, Tetrakas and Vangas. I saw 151 bird species on this tour, 115 of these were new to me.
Madagascar has 5 clades of native mammals - lemurs, tenrecs, rodents, mongooses and bats. The first 4 groups are each thought to have arrived as single colonisation events from animals making the journey from mainland Africa on rafts - and then diversified enormously. There are currently 87 species of lemur and 29 species of tenrec. We saw 22 species of Lemur on this tour. All Madagascar's native mammals are endemic.
Madagascar lies in the Indian Ocean about 500km from the SE African coast; it is the world's 4th largest island with a ~NS length of 1600km and an ~EW width of 580km. It is divided into 3 main regions running north-south: a broad area of central highlands, eastern rainforest and western drier forest; additionally the southern coastal fringe is subdesert with a characteristic range of spiny vegetation and baobabs.
Much of Madagascar has been deforested (a process that is continuing with little control), so that only 4% of the native forest remains. Nearly all the endemic wildlife is confined to the native forest. Our visit concentrated on seeing some of the areas of this remnant primary habitat. We passed through or over vast areas of degraded land en route between these areas.
Madagascar has a population of 23 million, 41% of which is <15 and only 3%>65. Life expectancy is 63 for men, 66 for women. 93% live on <$2/day.
Madagascar was a French colony and French is the lingua franca.
The tour group