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Evidence of earlier humans in Madagascar is unconvincing but interesting

10,000 Birds

But here I want to note, and for now, dismiss, a find from Madagascar. It was always thought that humans first inhabited the island of Madagascar about four or five thousand years ago or so. It was after that date that many of the great and strange animals of that island went extinct, presumably because of human hunting.

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The Bee-eaters of Africa

10,000 Birds

After breeding they also disperse over the rainforests and savannas of West and Central Africa, where they hunt for aerial insects. Madagascar Bee-eater Madagascar Bee-eater by Adam Riley Rather similar to Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, this species also has a rather unusual range. They prefer open areas, especially around wetlands.

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Mallards are a Threat to Mottled Ducks in Florida

10,000 Birds

Mallards did not occur in New Zealand naturally, but were released to provide hunting stock. The Meller’s Duck is highly endangered in its native Madagascar. The Hawaiian Duck is most likely completely hybridized on the island of Oahu, and may be genetically intact only on the island of Kauai.

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The Beach Falcon

10,000 Birds

Young Eleonora’s Falcons must develop quickly because they are migrants themselves, moving across the Sahara and down the Swahili Coast to Madagascar. In the approaching sunset, a male Common Kestrel is hunting… possibly some of the Common Quail whose “wet-my-lips” I can hear from the grass.

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Wonderful Wedgies

10,000 Birds

But it also occurs in the Indian Ocean, from Aldabra near Madagascar to Western Australia. The species breeds on an extraordinary number of islands, and has a worldwide population of perhaps over five million birds, and this is in spite of declines to due hunting, persecution and introduced species.

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Cypriot Delights: Part I

10,000 Birds

The first birds return from their wintering grounds in Madagascar in mid April, so the birds we saw had only just arrived. One September I watched a pack of seven Eleonora’s hunting a juvenile Swift. They are very late breeders, as they feed their young on autumn migrants which they generally intercept out to sea.

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The Storks of Africa

10,000 Birds

Its range also extends to nearby Madagascar. The African Openbill also has a similar Africa-wide distribution (barring most of South and North Africa) as the previous four species and partakes long distance movements (usually triggered by rainfall) through the continent and to Madagascar.

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