Falco newtoni
Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Malagasy kestrel (Falco newtoni), also known as the Madagascar kestrel, Malagasy spotted kestrel, Newton's kestrel, Madagascar spotted kestrel, katiti (Creole) or hitsikitsika (Malagasy), is a small bird of prey of the genus Falco. It is named after British ornithologist Edward Newton. It occurs in two subspecies on Madagascar and at Aldabra. The race from Aldabra is also called Aldabra kestrel (Falco newtoni aldabranus). Its closest living relative is the Seychelles kestrel; they were at one time considered conspecific. Their common ancestors appear to have diverged very recently, probably less than 1 million years ago during the Early or Middle Pleistocene. The Mauritius kestrel is more distantly related (Groombridge et al. 2002).
It can reach a size of 30 cm. The wings are 180 mm to 195 mm at the males and 188 mm to 203 mm at the females. The males can reach a weight between 112 and 118 grams. The weight of the females is up to 128 grams. The head and the nape of the males is rufous grey with dark streaks. A dark moustachial streak running from the basis of the bill backwards to sides of the throat. The upperparts and the wingcoverts are chestnut with black... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 4 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
No species of the same family or order lives in Ranomafana National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascan Kestrel sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 174 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 54th most-seen of the 102 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.
April–May and August–September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascan Kestrel in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February and October, the lowest months. Those are among Ranomafana National Park's driest months, with about 120 mm of rain a month against 450 mm in January. January and June have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascan Kestrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Madagascan Kestrel sightings, Ranomafana National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Berenty Reserve (Madagascar, about 80%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascan Kestrel is recorded against all the birds logged in Ranomafana National Park (174 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.
