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Birds of Morocco

Index of articles about “Moroccan birds”: ornithological studies and reports, rare birds sightings, general birding news,…etc. In short, everything about birds and birding in Morocco is filed under this category.

Electrocution of Spanish Imperial, Bonelli’s and Golden eagles at Guelmim

/ Birds of Morocco, Conservation News
Bird 2: Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti) electrocuted in the Guelmim region, 22 October 2015 (Ali Irizi)

Six young Spanish Imperial Eagles (Aquila adalberti) satellite-tracked from southern Spain visited Morocco this autumn. Last month, we published the news about one of these eagles that did not move from a single point located in Guelmim region. Project coordinators at Junta de Andalucía and Doñana Biological Station suspected that it may have been dead […]

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Prey availability and pylons: a lethal mix for eagles

/ Birds of Morocco
Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) carrying a Fat Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus), Guelmim region, Morocco, 7 Nov 2015 (Ali Irizi)

Guelmim region is one of the most frequented areas by Spanish Imperial Eagles (Aquila adalberti) wintering in Morocco. In this region, they share the space and the resources with another Mediterranean raptor, the Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) which is very abundant in this area outside the breeding season. The first photo shows a Bonelli’s Eagle

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Yellow-browed Warbler at Rabat, is it overwintering?

/ Birds of Morocco

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) was seen foraging with other Phylloscopus warblers at the Botanical Garden in Rabat on 15th October 2015 by Pedro Fernandes. This is the 13th record of this Siberian species for Morocco. Pedro detailed the observation in his eBird checklist as follows: Detected by ear and later spotted with binoculars; seen at close

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Winter breeding by Cream-coloured Coursers

/ Bird Behaviour, Birds of Morocco

Until the end of the 20th century there were only limited numbers of autumn-winter breeding records of the Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor). With the exception of Cape Verde, all these mentions of winter breeding are outside the Western Palearctic (as defined in the BWP) and the Arabian Peninsula including Socotra Islands. In a recent paper

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Eleonora’s Falcons imprison live birds for a later meal

/ Bird Behaviour, Birds of Morocco
Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) immobilized in a small and deep rock hole, Mogador islands, Morocco, 27 Sep. 2014 (Abdeljebbar Qninba).

Eleonora’s Falcons in Morocco imprison live birds to keep them fresh for a later meal. This behavior is unheard of before in the animal kingdom. The Eleonora’s Falcon (Falco eleonorae) is mainly insectivorous outside the breeding season. During the nesting period, which is very late (from July to October) as an adaptation to coincide with

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White Storks sharing nests with Cattle Egrets and both breed successively

/ Bird Behaviour, Birds of Morocco

An amazing nesting association between a White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) and Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) was observed at Auberge Amros, near Azrou in the Middle Atlas by Jacques Franchimont. On 7 June 2015, Jacques photographed several nests of Cattle Egrets (maybe 6) that were built on lateral branches of a White Stork nest (see photos).

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Golden Nightjar at Aousserd: first Western Palearctic record

/ Birding News, Birds of Morocco
Golden Nightjar / Engoulevent doré (Caprimulgus eximius), Aousserd, Western Sahara, Morocco; 3 May 2015 (Jurek Dyczkowski)

A Golden Nightjar (Caprimulgus eximius) was observed crossing the road between Dakhla and Aousserd and hit by the observers’ car and died on 3 May 2015 (J. Dyczkowski & R. Smykala). This is the first confirmed record for Morocco and the Western Palearctic. This interesting record confirms once more that the Aousserd region is one of the best birding

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Black-necked Grebe affected by progressive greying (not leucism)

/ Birds of Morocco
Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) affected by progressive greying, Dayet Aoua, Morocco, May 2015 (Saad Rih Wildlife Photography).

A Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) affected by progressive greying photographed at Dayet Aoua in the Middle Atlas Mountains by Saad Rih. (It’s not a leucistc bird as stated before, see the comment in the update below). Un Grèbe à cou noir touché par le ‘grisonnement progressive’ photographié à Dayet Aoua dans le Moyen Atlas par Saad

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