Probable breeding of Western Reef Heron at Essaouira, Morocco

/ Birds of Morocco
Western Reef Heron / Aigrette des récifs (Egretta gularis), Oued Ksob, Essaouira, Morocco (Franck et Océane Dupraz).

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

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Rüppell’s Vultures at Aousserd: are they breeding in the region?

/ Bird Migration
Rüppell’s Vultures (Gyps rueppelli), Aousserd, Western Sahara, southern Morocco, 1 Aug. 2011 (Michel Aymerich).

Rüppell’s Vulture (Gyps rueppelli) breeds throughout the Sahel region from southwestern Mauritania and Guinea eastwards to Ethiopia and Tanzania. It is considered non-migratory, although foraging involves moving considerable distances (up to 150-200 km). Since mid-1990s, increasing numbers of Rüppell’s Vultures have been recorded in the western Mediterranean region especially in Andalusia, southern Spain (Gutiérrez 2003),

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Spanish Short-toed Eagles summering in Northwest Africa

/ Bird Migration
Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) by Michele Panuccio

After leaving their Sahelian wintering grounds, immature Spanish Short-toed Snake Eagles spend the summer in northern Africa instead of going back to their natal areas. The importance of the breeding and wintering areas of a bird population for understanding demography and for determining conservation strategies is well recognised. However, the other areas where birds spend

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White Stork nests and Humans

/ Birds of Morocco
Unique and original nest! Seeing a White Stork nest built on a natural setting like this one is rare nowadays. Aguelmous, Middle Atlas, 4 Jan. 2019 (‎Abdellatif Al Ouardi‎).

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

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Andalusian Buttonquail in Morocco and the Western Palearctic

/ Birding News, Birds of Morocco
Andalusian Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus), south of Sidi Abed, September 2007 (Benoît Maire)

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

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Status of Kelp Gull in Morocco and the Western Palearctic

/ Birding News, Birds of Morocco
Cape Gull (Larus dominicanus vetula), Khnifiss Lagoon, Morocco (Lars Andersen)

Cape Gull – the African subspecies of the widespread Kelp Gull – does not breed at Khnifiss Lagoon, Morocco, as reported earlier by Bergier et al. (2009). A thorough analysis by Olof Jönsson of the available photographs showed that the large, dark-backed gulls breeding at Khnifiss are, in fact, Great Black-backed Gulls. This is the

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Wintering of Penduline Tits (Remiz pendulinus) in Morocco

/ Bird Migration
Eurasian Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus) ringed at Smir marshes, northern Morocco, 13 November 2006 (Ian Thompson).

The Eurasian Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus) was until recently considered to be an accidental winter visitor to Morocco. Regular wintering was suspected in the north-west of the country but had been poorly documented. The ringing data collected in the Smir marshes during the period 2004–2008 indicate that Eurasian Penduline Tits regularly winter in Morocco. During

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Allen’s Gallinule found dead at Tahaddart, Morocco

/ Birds of Morocco
Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni), Tahaddart estuary, northern Morocco, 16 January 2011 (Mohamed Amezian).

I found an Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni) at Tahaddart estuary, just south of Tangier, on 16 January 2011. Unfortunately it was dead. Field work: That day, I joined a team from the Scientific Institute of Mohammed V University to participate in the annual mid-winter waterbird census in different wetlands of north-west Morocco. Before meeting the

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White-headed Duck breeds in Morocco after decades of absence

/ Birds of Morocco
White-headed Duck / Érismature à tête blanche (Oxyura leucocephala), Sidi Boughaba (Said Lahrouz)

The White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala) start breeding again in Morocco for the first time in almost a century. The endangered White-headed Duck went extinct as a breeding species in Morocco in the first half of 20th century. It also disappeared as a wintering visitor. The Spanish population has also decreased dramatically between the 1950s and

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