Helmet Vanga - The smart bird

The helmet vanga is a large vanga, the second-largest species of vanga after the sickle-billed vanga. In length it measures 28 to 31 cm, and it weighs 84 to 114 g. The most distinctive feature is the massive hooked bill, which is 51 mm long and 30 mm deep. The plumage of the head, neck, throat, breast and belly is a solid blue-black, as are the primary coverts and remiges of the wing. The mantle, the back, and the rest of the wings are rufous. The tail, which is long and broad, is black below and rufous above. The bill is bright blue with a black tip. Both sexes are alike. It is restricted to lowland and lower montane rainforests in north-eastern Madagascar.

The helmet vanga mainly eat large insects, but food items brought to young in the nest may be more varied, including snails, lizards, spiders and crabs.