Mentocrex kioloides
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Madagascar forest rail (Mentocrex kioloides), also known as the Madagascar wood rail or the kioloides rail, is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae. It is endemic to forests, often in wet areas, in northern and eastern Madagascar. The secretive and shy personality of this reddish brown bird has contributed to a lack of study on this species; a reason why it is not that well known. Their smaller size and coloration make them great foragers on the forest floor. As of recent despite habitat loss the endangerment level of the Madagascar forest rail is 'of least concern.
This species was formerly placed in the genus Canirallus together with Tsingy forest rail and the grey-throated rail. A molecular genetic study published in 2019 found that the grey-throated rail is not closely related to the forest rails. The forest rails were therefore moved to the resurrected genus Mentocrex.
The Madagascar forest rail is a native species to Madagascar where it is seen throughout eastern humid forest, covering from near sea level to 2,000 m in elevation.The subspecies, M.k kiolodies, occupies the eastern rainforest while M.k berliozi is restricted to the Sambirano region of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Wood-Rail sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 184 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July, September and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Wood-Rail in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March and May, the lowest months. Those are among Ranomafana National Park's driest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 450 mm in January. January and June have too few records to rate.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascar Wood-Rail sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Madagascar Wood-Rail sightings, Ranomafana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 10%).
Same order: Gruiformes
The closest relatives of the Madagascar Wood-Rail that you can see in Ranomafana National Park (order Gruiformes, Cranes, Rails, and Allies) are Madagascar Flufftail (about 30%) and White-throated Rail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Wood-Rail is recorded against all the birds logged in Ranomafana National Park (184 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.
