MaghrebOrnitho

Two Egyptian Vultures released in Italy shot and poisoned during migration

24 September 2018 / Conservation News

‘Bianca’, a young Egyptian Vulture released in southern Italy, and found dead in Tunisia. Probably died because of secondary poisoning (Hichem Azafzaf / Association "Les Amis des Oiseaux" (AAO)).

Two captive-bred Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus) released in southern Italy last August died shortly after they started their migration. One bird shot dead by an illegal hunter in western Sicily, while the other died two days after it arrived to Tunisia, probably poisoned. The Egyptian Vulture in Italy: Egyptian Vulture numbers have decreased by more […]

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Monk Parakeet invasion continues: now breeding at Rabat

19 September 2018 / Birds of Morocco

Monk Parakeet / Conure veuve (Myiopsitta monachus), Rabat, Morocco, 12 Sep. 2018 (Ayoub Tounssi).

The invasion of the Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) continues in Morocco. Certainly, the invasion is not as fast as in some countries like Mexico. Also, the numbers of birds are not increasing dramatically like in Spain where the species is considered now a as a plague in some major cities. But the signs of the

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South Polar Skua off Safi, Morocco: second national record

17 September 2018 / Birds of Morocco

The location where the South Polar Skua was observed: off Safi, Morocco (map by Ricard Gutiérrez / Rare Birds in Spain).

A South Polar Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) was observed yesterday, 16 September, on the Moroccan waters by Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher from a ferry traveling from Lanzarote to Cádiz. The bird was observed at about 50 nautical miles off Safi, approximately where the red dot is on the map below (calculated on the basis of

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Horus Swift: a potential Western Palearctic vagrant

6 September 2018 / Birding News

Horus Swift / Martinet horus (Apus horus), Doué river, northern Senegal, 12 Feb. 2018 (Frédéric Bacuez).

As in the case of the Kordofan Lark, this blog-post deals also with another potential vagrant to the Western Palearctic region: the Horus Swift (Apus horus). In January 2018, Frédéric Bacuez and Bram Piot discovered about 18 Horus Swifts at the Doué river, located in northernmost Senegal. The identification, however, was not easy at the

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Marsh Owls in Morocco south of its core breeding area

2 September 2018 / Birds of Morocco

Marsh Owl / Hibou du Cap (Asio capensis), Sidi Moussa-Oualidia wetland complex, 2 Oct. 2014 (Benoît Maire).

The historical breeding range of Marsh Owl (Asio capensis) in Morocco extended from Tangier to the marshes of Sidi Moussa-Oualidia – and possibly as far south as Chiadma region (Essaouira). While currently the species breed only on coastal area, in the past it bred inland as well (east to around Meknès). Currently, almost the whole

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Hooded Crows at Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia

1 September 2018 / Birds of Tunisia

Hooded Crows / Corneilles mantelées (Corvus cornix), Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia, 28 Dec. 2013 (Mohamed El Golli).

Two Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix) photographed at Ichkeul National Park, northern Tunisia on 28 December 2013 (Mohamed El Golli). Mohamed took the photo against the light, and from a distance the birds appeared dark like Common Ravens. The photo was then ignored until discovered in his archive last month. The species is a rarity in

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French Montagu’s Harrier shot dead in Morocco

27 August 2018 / Birds of Morocco, Conservation News

Busard cendré (Circus pygargus) suivi par balise GPS de la France retrouvé mort au Maroc, probablement abattu par des braconniers, 26 août 2018 (Karim Rousselon).

Montagu’s Harrier satellite-tracked from France found dead in Morocco, most likely shot by hunters/poachers. Un Busard cendré suivi par balise GPS de la France est trouvé mort au Maroc, très probablement abattu par des braconniers (En français au-dessous de la 2ème photo). A Montagu’s Harrier satellite-tracked by the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé and partners

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Wing-tagging of Cinereous, Griffon and Rüppell’s vultures at Jbel Moussa

21 August 2018 / Birds of Morocco

Rüppell's Vulture / Vautour de Rüppell (Gyps rueppelli): 'M1', Jbel Moussa region, 17 Aug. 2018 (Rachid El Khamlichi).

Wing-tagging and release of Cinereous, Griffon and Rüppell’s vultures at Jbel Moussa on 17 August 2018. This operation was organised by the Moroccan Forestry Administration (HCEFLCD) in collaboration with a number of national institutions and NGOs. Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) This bird was found at Khmis Anjra, located some 30 Km south of the Strait

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First record of Eastern Imperial Eagle for Tunisia and Northwest Africa

8 August 2018 / Birds of Tunisia

Eastern Imperial Eagle / Aigle impérial (Aquila heliaca), El Haouaria, northern Tunisia, 29 April 2017 (Mohamed El Golli).

An Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) was photographed in spring 2017 at El Haouaria, northern Tunisia (Mohamed El Golli). El Haouaria, located at the extreme north-east of the Cap Bon peninsula, is known as a major point for migratory raptors following the Central Mediterranean Flyway (continental Italy-Sicily-Tunisia). In our opinion, this is the first record

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Migration of rare vultures at Jbel Moussa, spring 2018

5 August 2018 / Bird Migration

Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli), east of Tanger-Med Port, Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco, 2 May 2018 (R. El Khamlichi).

At the Strait of Gibraltar, some birds are still migrating northward as late as August or even September in some extreme cases (see one of these under the Rüppell’s Vulture text here). However, the northward migration, for all intents and purposes, is over by the end of July (see for example, Garcia & Bensusan 2006).

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