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.
On 12 May 2012, we visited Smir wetland to observe and count the breeding populations at the adjacent heronry. Unlike last year, this breeding season was not very good for all nesting birds, drought and disturbance have probably both contributed to the failure of the breeding this season. Here are the numbers we have counted …
This Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) photographed while catching a sharp-ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl) at a small pond near Sidi Bettache, western Morocco (Saad Rih). The prey, also known as Iberian ribbed newt, is a near threatened Ibero-Moroccan endemic. The Little Grebe is mainly piscivorous (fish-eater), although it’s known to take bigger prey such as newts (Wilkinson …
Little Grebe catching a newt (Pleurodeles waltl) Read More »
The Maghreb is the equivalent term of Northwest Africa. Historically and in the narrow sense of the term, the Maghreb means the three countries linked by the Atlas Mountains (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) which also share a long history (this is also shared with neighbouring Libya and Mauritania depending on the historical era). The climate …
Marsh Owl is a critically endangered species is Morocco. This piece tries to address one of the main problems causing its decline, and your help is much appreciated. Marsh Owl (Asio capensis) is a typical owl restricted to Africa and its biggest island. Three subspecies are recognised: 1) the nominate subspecies which has the largest …
Why Marsh Owl in Morocco is endangered and how to save it? Read More »
The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) – or Lammergeier as some prefer to call it – is extremely rare in Morocco. It is considered Critically Endangered due mainly to the very small population size, restricted range and the ongoing threats from poisoning and disturbance from different sources (Thévenot et al. 2003, Cuzin et al. 2009 – …
Up until the publication of ‘The Birds of Morocco’ (Thévenot et al. 2003), the House Bunting (Emberiza sahari) was only recorded as a vagrant in Tangier. By mid-2000s, it started to breed in the Medina of Tangier (Amezian et al. 2006). How the original nucleus population started to breed in Tangier, however, is still a …
Expansion of House Bunting in Tangier, north Morocco Read More »
Probable hybridization between Western Reef Heron and Little Egret at Essaouira islands on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The long-staying dark morph Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis) at Essaouira and Oued Ksob estuary (photo 1) has probably hybridised with a Little Egret (E. garzetta) at the Mogador archipelago. This probable case of hybridisation was observed …
Probable breeding of Western Reef Heron at Essaouira, Morocco Read More »
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is one of the bird species that remarkably adapted to human activities. During the last decades, they started to take advantages of the rubbish dumps which provide an extra and constant food source throughout the year. This and other factors have led some birds in southern Spain and northwest Africa (Morocco …
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) has finally returned to breed in northern Morocco after it has deserted the region for nearly a century. An important breeding colony of the species was discovered in the heronry installed in dune vegetation near Smir marshes (northern Morocco) by one of us, Rachid El Khamlichi, on 1st May 2011. Several …
Breeding of Glossy Ibis at Smir heronry, northern Morocco 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 »