Birds of Comoros

Land Birds

The Malagasy white-eye (Zosterops maderaspatanus)

The Malagasy white-eye (Zosterops maderaspatanus) is a species of bird in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae. Found in the Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles,its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Humblot's Sunbird (Cinnyris humbloti)

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Many of its species have a very colorful plumage with iridescent colors. Like hummingbirds and the Australian honeyeaters, sunbirds are nectar eaters and they share some physical similarities, but they are not related. The resemblances are due to convergent evolution due to the similar nectar-feeding lifestyle. Like hummers, sunbirds can hover at flowers, but they usually perch to feed

Distribution-Range: The sunbirds are distributed in tropical Africa and the forests of southeast Asia, including the Greater Sundas and the Philippines. Most species are found in Africa.
Sunbirds are sedentary or short-distance seasonal migrants.
Description: Sunbirds are strongly sexually dimorphic.The adult males usually have brilliantly colored plumage, while the females and the young are duller in coloration.Sunbirds have long thin down-curved bills and brush tipped tubular tongues - both adaptations to their nectar feeding.
Diet-Feeding: Sunbirds mostly feed on nectar, although take insects particularly during the breeding season to feed their young and to satisfy their own need for increased protein in their diet during this demanding time.They favor flowers with the highest sugar content and seek out those areas containing flowers with high energy nectar.Even though sunbirds can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, most usually perch while taking nectar.The males establish feeding territories on flower bearing shrubs and trees, which they aggressively defend.Many native and cultivated plants on whose flowers sunbirds feed heavily rely on them for pollination. The mostly tubular-shaped flowers actually exclude most bees and butterflies from feeding on them and, subsequently, from pollinating the plants.
Breeding-Nesting:
Sunbird pairs build the purse-shaped, moss-covered nest together - although the female takes on the part of lining the nest. The nest is often suspended from the underside of large fern fronds, or thin branch of a low tree or shrub.
A clutch consists of 1 to 3 eggs (average 2) which are mostly incubated by the female for about 18 - 19 days. The male assists with feeding the young.

The Grand Comoro bulbul (Hypsipetes parvirostris)

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The Grand Comoro bulbul (Hypsipetes parvirostris) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in Comoros and Mayotte. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.It is also considered a sister species to the Seychelles bulbul.

The grey-headed lovebird (Agapornis canus)

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The grey-headed lovebird or Madagascar lovebird (Agapornis canus) is a small species of parrot of the lovebird genus. It is a mainly green parrot. The species is sexually dimorphic and only the adult male has grey on its upper body. They are native on the island of Madagascar and are the only lovebird species which are not native on the African continent. They are the smallest of the lovebird species. It is rarely seen in aviculture and it is difficult to breed in captivity.

Description: The grey-headed lovebird is one of the smallest species of the lovebird genus, being 13 cm (5 inches) long and weighing about 30–36 grams. Its beak and feet are pale grey. The species is sexually dimorphic: the adult female is entirely green, with a dark green back and wings, a bright green rump, and a paler green chest; the adult male are similarly colored, except that their entire head and upper chest are a pale grey

Behaviour: Grey-headed lovebirds are strong fliers, and when open, their wings seem larger in relation to their bodies than those of the peach-faced lovebird. They can develop good speed quite quickly and effortlessly, and turn smoothly, though they are not as nimble in the air as the peach-faced lovebirds.

Aviculture: Grey-headed lovebirds were first imported for European aviculture in the second half of the nineteenth century. When imports were permitted and they were available to aviculture in large numbers, little effort was put into breeding. They prefer to breed in the autumn, and because they have poor tolerance for cold weather breeding in aviculture is generally unsuccessful. They tend to be nervous and easily frightened in an aviary.It is quite rare in captivity, with only a very few breeders having successfully reproduced more than one or two generations. This, and the fact that even hand-fed birds remain too shy and nervous to make good pets, are clear reasons for any captive Madagascars to be given a chance to breed, rather than being kept as pets. Grey-headed lovebirds prefer finch and canary seed over the sunflower/safflower mixes that most other lovebirds eat

The Madagasy kingfisher (Corythornis vintsioides)

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The Malagasy kingfisher (Corythornis vintsioides) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is found in Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

The Malagasy paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata)

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The Malagasy paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata) is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, and Mayotte. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

Description: The Malagasy paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine, measuring 18 cm in length and weighing between 12.1 and 12.3 g Males have long tail plumes, which can add as much as 18 cm to their overall length. The female is largely rufous-orange, with a black head and nape. The flight feathers on her wings are black with rufous edges, and she has a thin, light blue eyelid wattle
Habitat: This species is a regional endemic found on Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros islands. It is common in all native forest types except montane forest, at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,600 m.It also occurs, though less frequently, in other wooded habitats, including plantations, gardens and secondary forest

Behavior: Like all members of its genus, the Malagasy paradise flycatcher is an insectivore, feeding on a variety of insects. It regularly joins mixed-species flocks, particularly those containing common newtonias. It is a "follower" in such flocks, allowing other birds to work as "beaters"; it follows them and hunts down any insect prey they flush.
Breeding: Female Terpsiphone mutata nesting. The small eye ring is not typical of the Madagascar sub-species and this may be one of the Comoro Islands sub-species.
The female typically lays a clutch of three eggs measuring 0.72–0.76 inches (18–19 mm) in length and 0.55–0.57 inches (14 mm) in width. These range in color from pinkish-white to salmon-pink, with dense brown or lavender speckling or blotching on the wide end of the egg. This species occasionally serves as host to the Madagascan cuckoo, a brood parasite.

The common myna (Acridotheres tristis)

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The common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled mynah, is a member of the family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas) native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments.

The range of the common myna is increasing at such a rapid rate that in 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission declared it one of the world's most invasive species and one of only three birds in the top 100 species that pose an impact to biodiversity, agriculture and human interests. In particular, the species poses a serious threat to the ecosystems of Australia where it was named "The Most Important Pest/Problem"

The Comoro Parrot (Coracopsis vasa)

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The Comoro Parrot (Coracopsis vasa), Vasa des Comores are three species of parrot which are endemic to Madagascar and other islands in the western Indian Ocean. Some taxonomists place the genus in Mascarinus.