The family Vangidae (from vanga, Malagasy for the hook-billed vanga, Vanga curvirostris) comprises a group of often shrike-like medium-sized birds distributed from Asia to Africa, including the vangas of Madagascar to which the family owes its name. Many species in this family were previously classified elsewhere in other families. Recent molecular techniques made it possible to assign these species to Vangidae, thereby solving several taxonomic enigmas. The family contains 40 species divided into 21 genera.
Taxonomy In addition to the small set of Malagasy species traditionally called the vangas, Vangidae includes some Asian groups: the woodshrikes (Tephrodornis), flycatcher-shrikes (Hemipus) and philentomas.Moyle, R.G., J. Cracraft, M. Lakim, J. Nais & F.H. Sheldon (2006), Reconsideration of the phylogenetic relationships of the enigmatic Bornean Bristlehead (Pityriasis gymnocephala), Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 39, 893–898.
Vangidae belongs to a clade of corvid birds that also includes bushshrikes (Malaconotidae), ioras (Aegithinidae) and the Australian butcherbirds, magpies and currawongs (Cracticidae) and woodswallows (Artamidae), which has been defined as the superfamily Malaconotoidea. They seem closely related to some enigmatic African groups: the helmetshrikes (Prionops) and the shrike-flycatchers (Bias and Megabyas).Fuchs, J.; Bowie, R.C.K.; Fjeldsa, J. & Pasquet, E. (2004): Phylogenetic relationships of the African bush-shrikes and helmet-shrikes (Passeriformes: Malaconotidae). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 33(2): 428–439.
On Madagascar, vangas were traditionally believed to be a small family of shrike-like birds. Recent research suggests that several Madagascan taxa most similar in appearance and habits (and formerly considered to be) Old World warblers, Old World flycatchers or Old World babblers may be vangas. Satoshi Yamagishi and collaborators found in 2001 that Newtonia appeared to belong with the vangas rather than the warblers and also that Tylas was a vanga and not a bulbul. It also appears that Ward's vanga and Crossley's vanga belong with the vangas.Schulenberg, T.S. (2003): The Radiations of Passerine Birds on Madagascar. In: Goodman, Steven M. & Benstead, Jonathan P. (eds.): The Natural History of Madagascar: 1130–1134. University of Chicago Press.
The phylogenetic relationships between the genera are shown below. The cladogram is based on a study by Sushma Reddy and collaborators that was published in 2012. The species in the subfamily Vanginae are endemic to Madagascar.
Description The vangas are an example of adaptive radiation, having evolved from a single founding population into a variety of forms adapted to various niches occupied by other bird families in other parts of the world.Garbutt, Nick (2004) Different by design: the Vangas of Madagascar, in: Africa – Birds & Birding, 9: 28–34. They differ in size, colour and bill shape but are similar in skull shape and bony palate structure.Perrins, Christopher, ed. (2004) The New Encyclopedia of Birds, Oxford University Press, Oxford. They are small to medium-sized birds, varying from 12 to 32 cm in length.Sinclair, Ian & Olivier, Langrand (1998) Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, Struik, Cape Town. Many have strong, hooked bills similar to those of shrikes. The helmet vanga has a particularly large bill with a casque on top. Other species, such as the newtonias, have a small, thin bill. The sickle-billed vanga is notable for its long, curved bill used to probe into holes and cracks.
Most vangas are largely black, brown or grey above and white below. Exceptions include the blue and white blue vanga and the blue-grey nuthatch vanga. The helmet vanga is mostly black with a rufous back. Male Bernier's vangas are entirely black while the females are brown. It is one of several species with distinct male and female plumage while in other species the sexes are identical.
Most vangas have whistling calls.
Distribution and habitat They are native to Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indomalayan realm, although most are endemic to Madagascar in a variety of forest and scrub habitats. Several species including Van Dam's vanga and sickle-billed vanga can be found in the dry deciduous forests in the west of the island. Some such as Crossley's vanga, helmet vanga and Bernier's vanga are restricted to rainforest in the east of the island. Lafresnaye's vanga and the recently discovered red-shouldered vanga occur in subarid thorn scrub in the south-west.
Behaviour
Their diet can include insects, earthworms, millipedes, lizards and amphibians. The blue vanga and chabert vanga occasionally eat fruit. Many species feed in small groups, often in mixed-species foraging flocks. The hook-billed vanga and Lafresnaye's vanga tend to forage alone. Vangas have a variety of different foraging strategies. Many species glean food as they move through the branches. The nuthatch vanga climbs up trunks and branches like a nuthatch but does not climb downwards as nuthatches do. Crossley's vanga forages by walking along the forest floor amongst the leaf litter. The chabert vanga and the tylas vanga often fly into the air to catch prey. The three Xenopirostris vangas use their laterally flattened bills to strip bark off trees to search for food underneath.
Most species nest in pairs, building cup-shaped nests using twigs, bark, roots and leaves. The sickle-billed vanga nests in groups and builds a large nest of sticks.
Status and conservation Some species of vanga are common such as the chabert vanga which can survive in secondary woodland and plantations of introduced trees. Several other species are threatened by loss of their forest habitat. Pollen's vanga is classed as near-threatened by BirdLife International and the red-shouldered vanga, Bernier's vanga, helmet vanga and red-tailed newtonia are regarded as vulnerable. Van Dam's vanga is classed as endangered because it is restricted to a small area of north-west Madagascar where the forest is rapidly disappearing due to clearance for agriculture and uncontrolled bushfires.BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Xenopirostris damii. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2/1/2010.
Species list
The family contains 21 genera and 40 species.
FAMILY: VANGIDAE Genus: Calicalicus Red-tailed vanga, Calicalicus madagascariensis Red-shouldered vanga, Calicalicus rufocarpalis Genus: Schetba Rufous vanga, Schetba rufa Genus: Vanga Hook-billed vanga, Vanga curvirostris Genus: Xenopirostris Lafresnaye's vanga, Xenopirostris xenopirostris Van Dam's vanga, Xenopirostris damii Pollen's vanga, Xenopirostris polleni Genus: Falculea Sickle-billed vanga, Falculea palliata Genus: Artamella White-headed vanga, Artamella viridis Genus: Leptopterus Chabert vanga, Leptopterus chabert Genus: Cyanolanius Madagascar blue vanga, Cyanolanius madagascarinus Comoros blue vanga, Cyanolanius comorensis. Genus: Oriolia Bernier's vanga, Oriolia bernieri Genus: Euryceros Helmet vanga, Euryceros prevostii Genus: Tylas Tylas vanga, Tylas eduardi Genus: Hypositta Nuthatch vanga or coral-billed nuthatch vanga, Hypositta corallirostris Genus: Newtonia Dark newtonia, Newtonia amphichroa Common newtonia, Newtonia brunneicauda Archbold's newtonia, Newtonia archboldi Red-tailed newtonia, Newtonia fanovanae Genus: Prionops Yellow-crested helmetshrike, Prionops alberti Red-billed helmetshrike, Prionops caniceps Rufous-bellied helmetshrike, Prionops rufiventris Gabela helmetshrike, Prionops gabela White-crested helmetshrike, Prionops plumatus Grey-crested helmetshrike, Prionops poliolophus Retz's helmetshrike, Prionops retzii Chestnut-fronted helmetshrike, Prionops scopifrons Genus: Mystacornis Crossley's vanga, Mystacornis crossleyi Genus: Bias Black-and-white shrike-flycatcher, Bias musicus Genus: Megabyas African shrike-flycatcher, Megabyas flammulatus Genus: Hemipus Black-winged flycatcher-shrike, Hemipus hirundinaceus Bar-winged flycatcher-shrike, Hemipus picatus Genus: Tephrodornis Large woodshrike, Tephrodornis gularis Malabar woodshrike, Tephrodornis sylvicola Common woodshrike, Tephrodornis pondicerianus Sri Lanka woodshrike, Tephrodornis affinis Genus: Philentoma Rufous-winged philentoma, Philentoma pyrhoptera Maroon-breasted philentoma, Philentoma velata Genus: Pseudobias Ward's vanga, Pseudobias wardi
References
External links
Vanga videos on the Internet Bird Collection Vangas, Bird Families of the World