Polyboroides radiatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The Madagascar harrier-hawk (Polyboroides radiatus) is a medium-sized species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, endemic to Madagascar. The Madagascar harrier-hawk is a medium-sized raptor with long and broad wings which when folded almost reach to the tip of the tail. It has a black tail with a single broad grey band bisecting the black half way along its length. Adult birds are grey above with blackish flight feathers. The underparts are white with dense dark barring on the breast, belly and underwing coverts while the upper breast and throat are the same colour as the upperparts and form a grey hood, broken by the yellow face. The bill is yellow with a black tip and the legs are yellow.
The Madagascar harrier-hawk is quite widespread and common, albeit in small numbers, in most regions of Madagascar but it is scarce on the deforested central plateau. It can be found from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) altitude.
The Madagascar harrier-hawk occurs in a variety of habitats but seems to favour undisturbed lowland rainforest. It has also been recorded from montane rainforest, spiny desert scrub, degraded forests and other wooded... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 4 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Harrier-Hawk sighting in Mantadia National Park on a given day, based on 152 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 98 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Harrier-Hawk in Mantadia National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June and December, the lowest months. That is one of Mantadia National Park's driest months, with about 60 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 Harrier-Hawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Madagascar Harrier-Hawk sightings, Mantadia National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar, about 10%) and Berenty Reserve (Madagascar, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Madagascar Harrier-Hawk that you can see in Mantadia National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Madagascar Buzzard (about 50%), 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 Harrier-Hawk is recorded against all the birds logged in Mantadia National Park (152 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.
