Apus balstoni
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Malagasy black swift (Apus balstoni) or Madagascar swift, is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 4 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Swift sighting in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 78th most-seen of the 83 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Swift in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–July and September–December, the lowest months. That is one of Ankarafantsika National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 560 mm in January. January–March and May have too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascar Swift 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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Madagascar Swift sightings, Ankarafantsika National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 20%), Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 10%) and Berenty Reserve (Madagascar, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Ankarafantsika National Park (9 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.
