Rand’s Warbler
Randia pseudozosterops
Passeriformes Order – Bernieridae Family
INTRODUCTION:
The Rand’s Warbler is endemic to Madagascar and occurs in lowland and at middle elevation in the eastern rainforest.
It was formerly included in the family Sylviidae, but it is now a member of the endemic family Bernieridae.
It feeds on insects by moving fast through the canopy, gleaning prey from foliage and epiphytic plant species.
The Rand’s Warbler is locally common throughout the range, but it is vulnerable to forest destruction.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BIRD:
Biometrics:
Length: 12 cm
The Rand’s Warbler has olive-grey upperparts, with browner rump and uppertail-coverts. The upperwing is grey-brown with paler fringes to most feathers. The tail is grey-brown with whitish fringes on tips of outer rectrices.
The underparts are white, including chin and throat, with browner wash on breast and flanks.
On the head, crown and nape are olive-grey whereas head sides are brownish-grey. We can see a conspicuous whitish supercilium and a dark eye stripe. The cheeks are mottled white.
The fairly strong bill has dark horn upper mandible and paler lower one. The eyes are dark brown. Legs and feet are greyish-brown.
Male and female are similar.
The juvenile resembles adults, but it has darker bill.
RANGE:
The Rand’s Warbler is found in the humid eastern part of the island.
HABITAT:
The Rand’s Warbler frequents lowland and mid-elevation eastern rainforest, but it occurs mainly in areas with large trees and usually in the canopy. It is rarely found lower than 5 metres above the ground. It can be seen from sea-level to 1,200/1,300 metres of elevation.
CRIS ET CHANTS: SOUNDS BY XENO-CANTO
The Rand’s Warbler gives a high-pitched “pick” or “tick” usually repeated several times at short intervals.
The song is a regular, slightly descending series of “tew-tew-tew-tew-te” notes, sometimes with lower “tu” at the end. The bird typically sings perched at tree top on the riverside. The juvenile gives loud, high-pitched, hissing notes.
BEHAVIOUR IN THE WILD:
The Rand’s Warbler feeds on insects. It forages in trees along horizontal branches, gleaning prey from leaves and stems or pecking at moss and epiphytic plant species. It typically walks along branches, inspecting the underside by quickly searching from one side to the other.
The breeding behaviour is poorly known. The bird sings for long periods (several hours) perched on top of isolated trees, usually on the riverside. These songs are probably given at the beginning or during the breeding season.
The Rand’s Warbler is presumably sedentary.
It moves fast in the canopy but it only performs short flights.
REPRODUCTION OF THIS SPECIES:
The Rand’s Warbler sings more frequently between October and February. The bird is probably an arboreal nester. Nest and eggs are not described. Birds were observed gathering material including moss and lichens in August, and recent fledglings were seen in November. The laying probably occurs between August and October, and possibly later.
PROTECTION / THREATS / STATUS:
The Rand’s Warbler has large range on Madagascar, but it is confined to the eastern rainforest. It is fairly widespread and locally common throughout the range, but it is vulnerable to forest destruction and fragmentation, and the population is suspected to be declining.
But currently, the Rand’s Warbler is not globally threatened and evaluated as Least Concern.
Fr: Randie malgache
Ang: Rand's Warbler
All: Randsänger
Esp: Randia Malgache
Ita: Silvide di Rand
Nd: Rands Zanger
Sd: Rands madagaskarsångare
Mal: talapiotany
Text by Nicole Bouglouan
Sources :
HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD Vol 11 by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott and David Christie - Lynx Edicions - ISBN: 849655306X
The Birds of Africa: Volume VIII: The Malagasy Region: Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Mascarenes - Par Roger Safford, Frank Hawkins – ISBN: 1408190494, 9781408190494- Editeur: A&C Black, 2013
Birds of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands Par Roger Safford, Adrian Skerrett, Frank Hawkins – ISBN: 1472924118, 9781472924117- Editeur: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015
Wildlife of Madagascar par Ken Behrens,Keith Barnes - ISBN: 140088067X, 9781400880676 – Editeur: Princeton University Press, 2016
CREAGUS - MALAGASY WARBLERS Bernieridae
Fatbirder - Bernieridae - Malagasy Warblers
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Family Bernieridae
Page Order Passeriformes