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Bird Migration

Index of articles about bird migration, wintering and dispersion in Northwest Africa and adjacent areas.

African White-backed Vulture at Tarifa

African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus), Tarifa, southern Spain, 8 Oct. 2021 (Javier Elorriaga / Birding The Strait)

An African White-backed Vulture photographed at Tarifa, southern Spain. October and November is the time of Griffon Vulture migration at the Strait of Gibraltar. Thousands of juvenile and immature birds cross the Strait at this time to winter in Africa. And their African cousins, Rüppell’s and White-backed Vultures, tend also to occur with them at …

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Spanish Marbled Ducks tracked to Africa

This GPS-tracked Marbled Duck made a round-trip from Spain to Algeria and back in about 24 hours (Ecology Research Group at Miguel Hernandez University of Elche)

Movements of two satellite-tracked Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris) from Spain to North Africa. One of them, made a spectacular round-trip in 24 hours. As part of the ‘Marbled Duck reintroduction project’ in the Valencian Community (SE Spain), 21 birds were fitted with GPS-trackers and released into El Hondo Natural Park (Some birds are of wild …

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European Cinereous Vultures wandering across Africa

Cinereous Vulture

Two satellite-tagged Cinereous Vultures (Aegypius monachus) from France and Spain have been tracked to Africa. One has reached as far south as the Niger-Nigeria border, while the other is touring northern Africa after having first spent the winter in the Sahel area. These are the first individuals GPS-tracked in their breeding areas in Europe to …

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Satellite-tagged Pallid Harrier died in southern Morocco

The carcass of Selja the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus), Guelmim region, Morocco (Ali Irizi)

A Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) named ‘Selja’ satellite-tracked from Finland died in southern Morocco last January. The cause of death is not electrocution as was feared initially. Selja was fitted with a satellite transmitter in central Finland in June 2018 as part of the research on Pallid Harrier carried out by Ari-Pekka Auvinen for the …

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Spanish Marbled Ducks migrate to Africa to escape hunters’ guns

Three Marbled Ducks satellite-tracked from El Hondo, south-east Spain, are in central Algeria. These are the only surviving birds out of a total of 27 Marbled Ducks.

A total of 27 Marbled Ducks were satellite-tracked in south-east Spain, of these only three have survived by migrating to Algeria. Most of the birds that stayed locally were shot dead or are missing. The most threatened duck in Europe With a decreasing population, the Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris) is classed globally as ‘Vulnerable’ in …

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Migratory connectivity of Fennoscandian Dotterels

Migratory connectivity of Eurasian Dotterels breeding in alpine Fennoscandia. The bird with geolocator in orange. All but two ring recoveries in winter are from North Africa: Morocco (1), Algeria (6) and Tunisia (1).

A Eurasian Dotterel equipped with a light-logger in Northern Finland spent almost half a year in the wintering areas in Libya. The Eurasian Dotterel (Eudromias morinellus) breeds in the arctic-alpine zone of Palearctic. Its wintering range is also sufficiently known: it winters in North Africa eastwards to the Middle East, with some birds reaching the …

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Le Tarin des aulnes (Spinus spinus) dans le Nord-est du Sahara algérien

Répartition spatio-temporelle du Tarin des aulnes en Algérie / Spatio-temporal distribution of Eurasian Siskin in Algeria.

This note presents unusual observations of the Eurasian Siskin in the North-East of the Algerian Sahara, specifically in the palm city of Ouargla, where the species is observed in winter 2017/2018. In the Algerian Sahara, the species is rarely observed except the following few records: at El Goléa and Ghardaïa oases palms in winter 1976 …

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Cape Verde Shearwater in the Canary Islands and Morocco

Movements of a Cape Verde Shearwater caught and GPS-tracked in Montaña Clara islet, off Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Data of the University of Barcelona's ‘Seabird Ecology’ group)

The Cape Verde Shearwater (Calonectris edwardsii), as its name may suggests, is an endemic breeder to Cape Verde islands, and winters mainly in South Atlantic off South America (González-Solís et al. 2009). The species rarely ventures north of its breeding areas (or so we thought!). During the breading season, Cape Verde Shearwaters also frequently visit …

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Finnish Pallid Harrier wintered in Morocco in a rich, yet dangerous area

Selja the Pallid Harrier after her arrival to Finland, spring 2019 (photo by Ari-Pekka Auvinen via SuomenLuonto.fi)

A Pallid Harrier satellite-tracked in Finland spent the winter in the Guelmim region, southern Morocco. The area is very rich in preys but also very dangerous for raptors because of electrocution. This is the first proven wintering record of the species in Morocco. Westward expansion of the Pallid Harrier Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) breeds in …

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