The Rüppell’s Warbler (Sylvia ruppeli) breeds in northeastern Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey and small area in northwestern Syria), and winters mainly in the eastern part of the Sahel (Chad, Sudan).
In Northwest Africa, the species is rare except in Libya where it’s a regular migrant. In Algeria, Isenmann & Moali (2000) cited only two previous records (both males): one at Réghaïa on 20 March 1978 (Ledant et al. 1981), and one at Tamanrasset between 1 and 3 March 1990. The latter bird was recorded by a German team who carried out an extensive study of wintering ecology of birds in the Algerian Sahara in 1981 and again in 1990 and 1991 (Brehm et al. 1994).
There are no known records neither in Morocco nor in Tunisia.
New record at Djanet
In late 2018, the ‘AquaCirta Association’ organised a 13-days ornithological expedition to southeastern Algeria. A male Rüppell’s Warbler was observed and photographed at Djanet on 8 December 2018 by Karim Haddad and Larbi Afoutni. The two birdwatchers are active in the field since a few years. This record is published in the latest issue of Alauda (Haddad & Afoutni 2019)
References
Brehme, S., Hahnke, H. Mielke, M. Helbig, A. J. & Ehmig, G. 1994. Beiträge zur Wintervogelwelt Algeriens mit ernährungsöko-logischen Beobachtungen speziell an Sylviiden. Vogelwelt 115: 227–241.
Haddad, K. & Afoutni, L. 2019. Première observation documentée d’une Fauvette de Rüppell Sylvia ruppeli en Algérie. Alauda 87: 165.
Isenmann, P. and Moali, A. 2000. Oiseaux d’Algéria / Birds of Algeria. SEOF, Paris.
Ledant, J.P., Jacob, J.P., Jacobs, P., Malher, F., Ochando, B. & Roché, J. 1981. Mise à jour de l’avifaune algérienne. Gerflaut 71: 295-398