The 22nd report of the Moroccan Rare Birds Committee (MRBC) was published last May. In 2016, the MRBC examined 117 new records of which 99 were accepted.
These included the first Moroccan record of Lesser x Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga pomarina x Clanga clanga), the second of both Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) and Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra), the 2nd to 4th of Golden Nightjar (Caprimulgus eximius), the 3rd of Moltoni’s Warbler (Sylvia subalpina) and of Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis), the 4th of Lesser Spotted Eagle (Clanga pomarina), the 4th and 5th Pied Crow (Corvus albus), the 5th of Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) and Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) and the 5th to 10th Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti).
It also include the 6th of Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis), the 6th and 7th Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), the 7th of Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), the 7th to 9th Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis), the 8th of Sudan Golden Sparrow (Passer luteus), the 9th of Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan), the 9th and 10th Baillon’s Crake (Zapornia pusilla), the 9th to 11th Common Loon (Gavia immer).
Also noteworthy are the 11th to 13th of Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni), the 13th Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus), the 13th and 14th Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), the 14th and 15th Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri), the 16th to 24th of Rüppell’s Vulture (Gyps rueppelli), the 18th to 22nd of Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), the 19th of Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), the 25th of Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors), the 26th to 28th Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) and the 29th Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris).
Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax)
An important decision made this year is the re-analysis of 7 old records of Tawny Eagle submitted to the MRBC between 2002 and 2011 (Of these, 3 records were originally accepted and 4 were rejected, in this report all 7 records were not accepted as Tawny Eagles). It should be noted that the re-analysis concerned only the records for which there was some reasonable doubt: i.e. they could have been Spanish Imperial Eagles and not Tawny Eagles. Read more details in this article: “Tawny Eagle in Morocco: current status and vagrancy potential from sub-Saharan Africa“.
Full report:
Fareh, M., Cherkaoui, S.I., Maire, B., Franchimont, J. & CHM. 2017. Les oiseaux rares au Maroc. Rapport de la Commission d’Homologation Marocaine, Numéro 22 (2016). Go-South Bulletin 14: 88-100.
