Index of birding news that are of interest to Western Palearctic birders. These include, among others, ‘mega rarities’ found in Northwest African, potential vagrants to the WP from adjacent areas, and other interesting articles.
Other birding news and national rarities (including many “first national records”) are filed under their respective country.
Marsh Owl is a critically endangered species is Morocco. This piece tries to address one of the main current problems causing its decline. Your help, as a responsible ecotourist or guide, is much needed. Marsh Owl (Asio capensis) is a typical owl restricted to Africa and its biggest island. Three subspecies are recognised: 1) the …
Why Marsh Owl in Morocco is endangered and how to save it? Read More »
The Andalusian Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus) became almost extinct throughout its Mediterranean range except in Morocco where there have been more or less regular observations until 1988. Since that date, however, the species went undetected until 2000. Since the beginning of the new millennium, new sightings (including the first-ever photograph of a living wild bird …
Andalusian Buttonquail in Morocco and the Western Palearctic Read More »
Cape Gull – the African subspecies of the widespread Kelp Gull – does not breed at Khnifiss Lagoon, Morocco, as reported earlier by Bergier et al. (2009). A thorough analysis by Olof Jönsson of the available photographs showed that the large, dark-backed gulls breeding at Khnifiss are, in fact, Great Black-backed Gulls. This is the …
Status of Kelp Gull in Morocco and the Western Palearctic Read More »
The Cricket Warbler or Cricket Longtail (Spiloptila clamans) is a small bird native to the Sahel region, where its breeding area is restricted to a narrow band stretching from southern Mauritania and northern Senegal eastwards to Sudan and Eritrea. Inside the Western Palearctic region, the species was only known to occur in exterm north of …