Laughing Dove reached north Morocco – colonising Europe is next

4 June 2020 / Birds of Morocco
Laughing Dove / Tourterelle maillée (Spilopelia senegalensis), Tétouan, northern Morocco, 2 March 2013 (Rachid El Khamlichi).

Laughing Dove reached Tétouan in northernmost Morocco, its final step before crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to colonise Europe. La Tourterelle maillée a atteint Tétouan au nord du Maroc, sa dernière étape avant de traverser le détroit de Gibraltar pour coloniser l’Europe. Laughing Doves (Spilopelia senegalensis) observed near Tétouan from mid-February until June 2013. The …

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Parrots in the gardens of Mohammedia

12 April 2020 / Birds of Morocco
Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis – Inséparable rosegorge), Mohammedia, 7 April 2015 (Ines Beert)

Some feral parrots observed in the gardens and parks of Mohammedia, Morocco: Senegal Parrot (Poicephalus senegalus): A group of eight Senegal Parrots  is frequently observed since mid-2011 in the gardens of Mohammedia. They probably escaped from captivity, but their numbers implies that they may breed locally. Will they manage to establish a breeding population or …

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Les vautours sont les meilleurs nettoyeurs de la nature, il faut les préserver

6 December 2020 / Conservation News
Vautours fauves (Gyps fulvus) persécutés par les élèves dans la région d’Ouazzane au nord du Maroc, novembre 2012. (Photo: Ouezzane Dar Dmana)

Le 15 novembre dernier avait paru sur le site arabophone Hespress un article intitulé : “Des vautours sèment la panique dans un douar de la région de Ouazzane“. Malheureusement l’article contenait beaucoup d’informations inexactes concernant la taille et la dangerosité des oiseaux en question, et aussi à propos de la panique que leur apparition aurait …

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النسور أحسن منظفي البيئة، يجب علينا المحافظة عليهم

17 January 2021 / Conservation News
النسور السمراء في صراع أخوي على جثة بقرة نافقة شمال المغرب

نشرت الصحيفة الالكترونية “هسبريس” يوم 15 نوفمبر 2012 خبرا تحت عنوان: “كواسر تثير الرعب بدوّار ضواحي وزّان“. و للأسف الشديد فان الخبر كان يتضمن الكثير من المغالطات كوزن و طول الطائر و بأنها أثارت الرعب لدى السكان و هذه كلها معلومات مجانبة للصواب. وقد أثار هذا الخبر الكثير من التعليقات على الإنترنت و التي كانت …

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Gibraltar Buzzard: status and identification

9 December 2020 / Bird Taxonomy
‘Gibraltar buzzard’ at the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar

Interesting news posted by Dick Forsman following his short visit to the Moroccan side of the Strait of Gibraltar this month with Javier Elorriaga and Antonio-Roman Muñoz from Fundación Migrés. The aim of this visit was to study the enigmatic “Gibraltar buzzard” which occurs in the areas around the Strait. D. Forsman commented: Javier Elorriaga …

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House Bunting finally colonised Tétouan, northern Morocco

13 November 2020 / Birds of Morocco
An incubating House Bunting (note the brood patch), near the Faculty of Sciences, Tétouan, 29 March 2013 (Rachid El Khamlichi)

The House Bunting (Emberiza sahari) colonised Tangier in mid-2000. However, despite searching the species has never been recorded at Tétouan or at any other locality in northernmost Morocco outside of Tangier. The House Bunting at Tétouan was recorded thanks to Yousef El Ouahabi who had been observing them visiting his house to feed with the …

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