Endangered
Helmet Vanga
Euryceros prevostii
The helmet vanga is a distinctive-looking bird of the vanga family, Vangidae, and is classified in its own genus, Euryceros.
Appearance
The most distinctive feature is the massive hooked bill, that is 51 mm (2.0 in) long and 30 mm (1.2 in) deep. The plumage of the head, neck, throat, breast and belly is a solid blue-black, as are the primary coverts and remiges of the wing. The bill is bright blue with a black tip.
In length it measures 28 to 31 cm (11–12 in), and it weighs 84 to 114 g (3.0–4.0 oz).
Range and habitat
It is restricted to lowland and lower montane rainforests in north-eastern Madagascar. Sites where it can be found include Marojejy National Park, Makira Natural Park, the Masoala National Park and Mantadia National Park. It is restricted to lowland and lower montane rainforests of northeastern Madagascar.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet and breeding
Adults mainly eat large insects, but food items brought to young in the nest may be more varied, among them snails, lizards, spiders and crabs. Helmet vangas are monogamous and seasonal breeders.
The breeding season runs from October to January on the Masoala Peninsula. Both sexes work on the construction of the nest, that is a cup shape 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter constructed from woven plant fibres, mosses and twigs, and is placed in a fork in a tree 2 to 4 m (6.6–13.1 ft) off the ground.
In crisis
The species is threatened by habitat loss. The helmet vanga is considered to be threatened with extinction due to habitat loss. Their population, between 6000 and 15000 mature individuals, is becoming increasingly fragmented.
Ecological modelling suggests that much of their remaining habitat will be lost in 50 years due to climate change.
Helmet Vanga is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Helmet Vanga, Wikidata item Q1194048. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
