NL·0777Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Euryceros prevostii
- Family
- Vangidae
- Native to
- Lowland and mid-altitude rainforest of north-eastern Madagascar
- Habitat
- Tropical rainforest
On eBird ↗
Helmet Vanga
Live sightings near you, the range map, bar charts of when it is seen, and Macaulay Library photos and recordings.
Helmet vanga
Euryceros prevostii
Also calledEurycère de Prévost (French)
A rainforest bird of north-eastern Madagascar carrying a huge, arched, bright blue bill. Vangas are a spectacular radiation of birds found only on Madagascar.
The helmet vanga is a distinctive-looking bird of the vanga family, Vangidae, and is classified in its own genus, Euryceros. It is mainly blue-black, with rufous wings and a huge arched blue bill. It is restricted to lowland and lower montane rainforests of northeastern Madagascar. Its diet is composed of invertebrates, predominantly insects. The species is threatened by habitat loss. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iUses its massive bill to seize large insects, lizards and frogs
- iiPart of the vanga radiation, whose bill shapes span the range of many bird families
In the field
Field marks
- aEnormous arched, bright blue bill
- bBlack head and underparts
- cRufous back and tail centre
- dPale yellow eye
- Voice
- A long, accelerating, whistled trill descending toward the end.
- Not to be confused with
- No other bird has this bill. Rufous vanga is smaller, with a white breast and pale blue-grey bill.
- Where to see it
- Masoala National Park and Marojejy National Park
- When
- Resident
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Large insects, chameleons, geckos and frogs
- Habitat
- Undisturbed lowland and mid-elevation rainforest
- Size
- About 28–31 cm
Sits still in the mid-canopy for long periods before sallying for prey.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Lowland and mid-altitude rainforest of north-eastern Madagascar
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
No plate in the Source Library names this exact species, so these show its closest relatives as the old naturalists drew them: same genus, or the same kind of animal. Click a plate to read the page it came from, with translation.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Euryceros prevostii in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
It was named in honour of the French artist Florent Prévost; it remains a prized bird for birders visiting Masoala.
Curiosity
It is the only member of the genus Euryceros, one of the vangas, a family that radiated into many bill shapes on Madagascar.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 8444.