NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Madagascar Flufftail
Sarothrura insularis (Sharpe, 1870)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Madagascar flufftail (Sarothrura insularis) is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae.
It is endemic to Madagascar. The subspecies is Monotypic.
Madagascar flufftails are found in Madagascar however, they are limited in the wet areas in the north and lacking from Lake Sahaka in the northeast.
Its natural habitat is subtropical, tropical moist lowland forests, shrubland, grassland, and artificial areas. This is where they find their food which consists of insects and seeds.
Madagascar Flufftails have a stable population of around 6,700-67,000. The species does not meet the criteria for vulnerability, therefore, it is marked as Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Madagascar flufftail; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:44:08.980231+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sarothrura insularis (Sharpe, 1870)
- Name authority
- (Sharpe, 1870)
- Common name
- Madagascar Flufftail
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Sarothruridae
- Genus
- Sarothrura
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderGruiformes
- familySarothruridae
- genusSarothrura Heine, 1890
- speciesSarothrura insularis (Sharpe, 1870)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sarothrura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-chested FlufftailSarothrura rufa (Vieillot, 1819) | SarothruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-winged FlufftailSarothrura ayresi (J. H. Gurney Sr, 1877) | SarothruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slender-billed FlufftailSarothrura watersi (E. Bartlett, 1880) | SarothruridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Corethrura insularis Sharpe, 1870 Sharpe, 1870 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176368 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6XPK7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.