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.
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
Golden Nightjar at Aousserd: first Western Palearctic record Read More »
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
Black-necked Grebe affected by progressive greying (not leucism) Read More »
Below is a discussion about the identification of an interesting falcon observed in Morocco, and an update about the taxonomic status of the Barbary Falcon. Barbary Falcon with some Peregrine characteristics This falcon was photographed on the cliffs where the Barbary Falcons are known to breed near Rissani, Morocco, in mid-April 2015 by David Walsh.
Two Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) seen at Annakhil, Marrakech since at least October 2014 by Stephane Abtan. They were seen also in November 2014 (photo 1) and in January 2015. In March, they were observed there again by Benoît Maire and Brahim Bakass. Probably nesting locally. Last February, a breeding colony of this invasive species was found breeding
Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) at Marrakech Read More »
This wheatear with a strange plumage was photographed in Morocco by Chris Smallbones last March and forwarded to us by his colleague Mike Langman. It’s difficult to assign a name to this ‘white-eared wheatear’. It appears that it’s an abnormal individual. But, is it a Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura) or maybe a hybrid between this
Mystery wheatear (Oenanthe sp.) photographed in Morocco Read More »
During a short stop at the rubbish dump of Fnideq, we discovered a Pied Crow (Corvus albus) among many Northern Ravens (Corvus corax) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis). We should note that the behaviour of the crow we saw was that of a perfectly wild bird. It was very shy as it’s the first to
Pied Crow at Fnideq, northern Morocco (2015-2020) Read More »
The saved vulture was wing-tagged and successfully released (see below). النسر الأسمر تم ترقيمه ثم إطلاق سراحه بنجاح في محمية جبل موسى كما كان منتظرا تمت يوم الأحد 8 مارس عملية إعادة النسر الأسمر (الذي شاركنا قصته معكم الأسبوع الماضي) إلى البرية بنجاح بعد إعادة تأهيله جراء تعرضه لماس كهربائي خلال مروره بشمال مدينة طنجة
A young Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) photographed yesterday at Jbel Toubkal, Western High Atlas Mountains (Ali Irizi). Our colleague Ali had this special encounter with the Bearded Vulture when he was hiking on the southern slope of Jbel Toubkal. The excellent photos he took are probably among the best of the species in Morocco. We
Bearded Vulture at Jbel Toubkal, High Atlas, Morocco Read More »
Can a non-marked wader be relocated months after first sighting? Well, this is possible in only few cases including when the bird is leucistic and is alone in the region (so easily identifiable). This is the case of a leucistic Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) photographed for the first time in the intertidal zone between El Jadida
Leucistic Whimbrel becomes much whiter after moult Read More »
The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), an invasive species from South America, found breeding at Tangier for the first time. The story began when Alfonso Escajadillo O Connor, a naturalist and birder from Peru, observed 6 individuals of Monk Parakeet nest building in a Phoenix canariensis tree at Tangier on 12 February 2015. When Alfonso met