Madagascar: Rare Birds and Mammals of the West

This exciting 8-day Madagascar birding tour will likely appeal to serious global listers and those wishing to see some of Madagascar’s most iconic and seldom-seen mammals. Although this tour does not yield as many species as some of our other Madagascar birding tours, it offers better chances at birds not typically seen on other itineraries, such as Banded Kestrel and the global mega Tsingy Forest Rail. In addition to these stand-out species, we will likely encounter representatives of Madagascar’s well-known families while birding the region’s deciduous forests, with birds like Giant and Coquerel’s Couas, Schlegel’s Asity, Cuckoo-roller, White-breasted Mesite, Sickle-billed Vanga and many more.

Tsingy Forest Rail is one of Madagascar’s least observed birds and a major target on this tour.

The mammals on offer are equally alluring, and we’ll look for several lemur species, including the impressive Verreaux’s and Van der Decken’s Sifakas and a few nocturnal species, for which a night walk is required. Perhaps the best of all our mammal targets is the island’s largest carnivore, Fosa, which we will search for during our time at Kirindy Forest Reserve. This tour also has some of the best scenery in Madagascar, and we’ll be sure to take in the sights of the famous “Avenue of the Baobabs” during our time in Morondava.

Sickle-billed Vanga is just one of several vanga species on this tour.