Buteo brachypterus
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Madagascar buzzard (Buteo brachypterus) is a bird of prey which is endemic to Madagascar. It is a species from the widespread genus Buteo in the family Accipitridae. The Madagascar buzzard is a typical old-world buzzard showing quite a lot of variability in plumage and which is similar to the forest buzzard of Africa and the palearctic common buzzard. They have a dark grey head, a white patch on the breast, the brownish -white vent and thighs are spotted with brown. The tail is marked with broad brownish-black bars. The bill is black with a greyish blue cere, the eyes are yellow and the legs and feet are pale yellow.
Endemic to Madagascar where it is common, except for the deforested central plateau where it is less common, there is some indication that its population is increasing as the forest is fragmented. The Madagascar buzzard is adaptable as to its habitat and is found in a wide variety of habitats including forest, open woodland and regenerating, secondary forest. It can also be found on rocky hillsides up to 2300 metres above sea level. Although it is so adaptable it is still less common on the deforested central plateau... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Buzzard sighting in Mantadia National Park on a given day, based on 239 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 98 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Buzzard in Mantadia National Park on a given day, against about 30% in June and December, the lowest months. That is one of Mantadia National Park's driest months, with about 80 mm of rain against 340 mm in January. January to April have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascar Buzzard sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Madagascar Buzzard sightings, Mantadia National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar, about 50%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Madagascar Buzzard that you can see in Mantadia National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Madagascar Harrier-Hawk (about 30%), Madagascar Cuckoo-Hawk (about 10%) and Madagascar Sparrowhawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Buzzard is recorded against all the birds logged in Mantadia National Park (239 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.
