The Blue Vanga of Mohéli (Cyanolanius madagascarinus comorensis)

The Blue Vanga is the only member of  the Vangidae family that exists outside of Madagascar.
Populations of the Blue Vanga are found on the Comore Islands, more specifically on the islands of Grand Comoro and Moheli.

On Grand Comoro the Blue Vanga is rare. It was first sighted in June-July 1974, and only two other sightings have occurred since, both in August 1981 and at an altitude of approximately 900m.
On Moheli the Blue Vanga (Cyanolanius madagascarinus comorensis)  occurs more frequently, but not in large numbers. It is found in wooded parts of the island below 300 metres.

The Blue Vanga is a song-bird of average size with a magnificent blue color. It is found  isolated or in small groups in and between trees and shrubs. It feeds on insects and the nests are usually found in treetops. A young bird was spotted in April 1990.

The subspecies of Blue Vanga found in the Comores differs from that of Madagascar in that the female’s breast is beige instead of white.

A subspecies of Blue Vanga has been described by Louette and Herremans (*) and is given the name bensoni in honor of the British ornithologist Constantine Benson who discovered many new birds in the Comores.
This subspecies is based on the only specimen coming from Grand Comoro. It is similar to that found on Moheli except that its beak is shorter.
More specimens from Grand Comoro need to be examined to confirm this trait. However, the bird is so rare on this island that collecting other specimen can not be encouraged.

The holotype and sole specimen of the Blue Vanga of  Grand Comoro can be found in the scientific collection of the RMCA. It is not on display in the museum galleries.

For additional information on this enigmatic bird refer to:

(*) LOUETTE, M. & M. HERREMANS 1982. The Blue Vanga Cyanolanius madagascarinus on Grand  Comoro. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 102 (4),p.132-135.

LOUETTE, M.  2004. Oiseaux. in: LOUETTE, M., D. MEIRTE & R. JOCQUE  (eds). La faune terrestre de l’archipel des Comores. Studies in Afrotropical Zoology (MRAC, Tervuren). 293, p. 89-196.

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