Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher

Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher

Corythornis madagascariensis

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Ankarafantsika National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

107 Verified sightings at Ankarafantsika National Park From 2019 to 2026
344 In all 3 parks
April Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher

The Madagascar pygmy kingfisher (Corythornis madagascariensis) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and found in western dry deciduous forests. The first formal description of the Madagascan pygmy kingfisher was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Alcedo madagascariensis.

Although it has been placed in the genera Ceyx and Ispidina in the past, a study of its molecular phylogenetic relationships with other genera in the region suggests it is best treated as a member of the genus Corythornis. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:16

Madagascar · 2019

© Dries Van de Loock · XC536786 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:47

Madagascar · 2017

© Ross Gallardy · XC418212 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:14

Madagascar · 2010

© Charles Hesse · XC86589 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mantadia National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~20%
2 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~20%
3 Ranomafana National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher in Ankarafantsika National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher sighting in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, based on 107 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 47th most-seen of the 83 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher in Ankarafantsika National Park?

April

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June to September, the lowest months. That is one of Ankarafantsika National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 560 mm in January. January–March and May have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Ankarafantsika National Park the best place to see a Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher?

Among the best

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher sightings, Ankarafantsika National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 20%).

Where does the Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Ankarafantsika National Park (107 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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