Vanga
/ˈvæŋ.ɡə/noun
A small insect-eating bird of Madagascar belonging to the family Vangidae.
Did you know?Vangas are a famous example of adaptive radiation: one ancestral bird lineage evolved dramatically different beaks for different feeding niches across Madagascar.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Madagascar
Malagasy
vanga
“Indigenous Malagasy name for a vanga bird; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
18th–19th Century
Malagasy
vanga
“Local bird name used in descriptions of Madagascar’s fauna.”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
Vanga
“Genus name established for a Madagascar bird.”
19th Century
English
vanga
“English zoological noun for a vanga or related bird.”
Modern English
English
vanga
“A Madagascar bird of the family Vangidae, often noted for its varied bill shapes.”
Explore more surprising origins