First White-backed Vulture for Morocco and North Africa

White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) and Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) on the right, Tétouan, northern Morocco, 25 May 2014

A mega Western Palearctic rarity! Yesterday, we reported the observation of 3 Rüppell’s Vultures at a carcass near Tétouan, northern Morocco. Today, we went back to the site and to our great pleasure we found a White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) with the other birds that roosted locally the previous night. At our arrival at the

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3 Rüppell’s Vultures at Jbel Bouhachem, northern Morocco

3 different Rüppell’s Vultures observed at Jbel Bouhachem, northern Morocco

Three different Rüppell’s Vultures observed at Jbel Bouhachem, northern Morocco. This is a real unexpected bonus as the site is a bit inland from the Strait of Gibraltar where the vultures normally gather. Just a few days ago, we talked about watching the spectacle of bird migration at Jbel Moussa on the Strait of Gibraltar.

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Horned Lark taxonomy: possible split into six species

Moroccan Horned Lark [Eremophila (alpestris) atlas], Atlas Mountains, Morocco, March 2014 (Ruben and Jorrit Vlot)

A recent study suggested splitting the Horned Lark into six different species: one in the Nearctic and five in the Palearctic, including the Moroccan endemic taxon (atlas). The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a widely distributed passerine across North America and Eurasia, with two isolated populations in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Colombia in

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Rüppell’s Vulture exhibited for tourists at Jemaa el-Fna, Marrakech

A Rüppell’s Vulture used as a photo props at Jemaa el-Fna square in Marrakech for nearly a year. The Rüppell’s Vulture is undergoing a rapide decline across most of its breeding range in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, it has been upgraded to the Endangered status in the IUCN Red List (previously was listed as Near Threatened). Since

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Commerce illégal des oiseaux sauvages au Maroc: photo-reportage

Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo), Casablanca

Ces images montrent l’ampleur du commerce illégal des oiseaux sauvages au Maroc. C’est juste un rappel à toutes les parties concernées sur ce commerce illégal et non durable. En vertu de la loi marocaine, toutes ces espèces sont protégées. Les photos ont été prises par Daniel Bergin en Mai-Juin 2013 dans différentes villes marocaines (Rabat,

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First White-throated Bee-eater for the Western Palearctic

White-throated Bee-eater / Guêpier à gorge blanche (Merops albicollis), Dakhla bay, 10 March 2017 (Phil Abbott).

A White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis) was observed at ‘Gleb Jdiane’, Oued Dahab, on 5 and 6 December 2013 by Noëlle and Hervé Jacob (see the short video). This would be the first record for Morocco if accepted by the Moroccan Rare Birds Committee (MRBC). There was no previous observation of White-throated Bee-eater in the Western

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GPS-tracked White Stork found dead in fishing lines near Tangier, Morocco

From left to right: Mohamed Amezian, Ahmed El Ketami (who saved the transmitter) & Rachid El Khamlichi

A satellite-tracked White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) found dead near Asilah, Tangier region, northern Morocco. The good news is that the satellite transmitter was found in good condition. This is the story of how the White Stork ‘C666’ died and how its transmitter was found. On 26 November 2013, Brigitta Keeves from the office of Prof.

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