MaghrebOrnitho

First White-throated Bee-eater, Village Indigobird and Cut-throat Finch for Algeria

20 January 2022 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

White-throated Bee-eater / Guêpier à gorge blanche (Merops albicollis)

A recent birding trip to southern Algeria produced three new bird species for the country: White-throated Bee-eater, Village Indigobird and Cut-throat Finch. [See also the results of another group’s expedition: Blue-naped Mousebirds and Black Scrub Robins in southern Algeria]. A group of amateur and professional Algerian researchers organized a birding expedition in southern Algeria in […]

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Rare birds in Morocco: 26th report of the MRBC

31 December 2021 / Birds of Morocco

African Dunn's Lark (Eremalauda dunni) at Merzouga, south-east Morocco, 17 April 2019 (J. Muddeman)

The 26th report of the Moroccan Rare Birds Committee (MRBC) was published earlier this month. In 2020, the MRBC processed 62 records of which 55 were accepted. As to be expected in a year affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, there were actually only eight records from 2020, with the majority from 2019 (47 observations) and

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Two Rustic Buntings at Tademaït Plateau, Central Algeria

29 November 2021 / Birds of Algeria

Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica), Tademaït Plateau, Central Algeria, 23 Nov. 2021 (Robert Minshull).

Deux Bruants rustiques observés dans le plateau du Tademaït dans le Sahara central algérien le 23 novembre 2021 (Robert Minshull). C’est la deuxième mention de l’espèce pour l’Algérie. Two Rustic Buntings found at Tademaït Plateau in Central Algerian Sahara on 23 November 2021. Robert Minshull first heard the birds’ call before trying to get some

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First Lapland Longspur and 2nd Yellow-billed Cuckoo for Morocco

19 November 2021 / Birding News, Birds of Morocco

Lapland Longspur / Plectrophane lapon (Calcarius lapponicus), near Dayet Dar Bouazza, Casablanca, Morocco, 13 Nov. 2021 (Benoit Maire)

Two very rare visitors from North America and the Arctic landed in Morocco recently: Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Lapland Longspur. Lapland Longspur A Lapland Longspur was found at a small pond near Dayet Dar Bouazza on 13 November 2021 by Benoit Maire. Dayet Dar Bouazza and the adjacent pond where the bird was found are small

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African White-backed Vulture at Tarifa

10 October 2021 / Bird Migration, Birding News

African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus), Tarifa, southern Spain, 8 Oct. 2021 (Javier Elorriaga / Birding The Strait)

An African White-backed Vulture photographed at Tarifa, southern Spain. October and November is the time of Griffon Vulture migration at the Strait of Gibraltar. Thousands of juvenile and immature birds cross the Strait at this time to winter in Africa. And their African cousins, Rüppell’s and White-backed Vultures, tend also to occur with them at

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Sudan Golden Sparrow at Ceuta

5 October 2021 / Birding News

Sudan Golden Sparrow (Passer luteus), Ceuta, 3 Oct. 2021 (Grupo de anillamiento Chagra).

A Sudan Golden Sparrow (Passer luteus) captured at Ceuta during a ringing session. On 3 October, the Chagra Ringing Group captured an unexpected bird during a ringing session at Punta Blanca in Ceuta: a juvenile Sudan Golden Sparrow. How it arrived this far north? While the possibility of a natural arrival can’t be discarded, so

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Red-billed Tropicbird at Oued Massa, Morocco

7 September 2021 / Birds of Morocco

Red-billed Phaeton near Oued Massa, southern Morocco, 13 May 2021

A Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) flying-over a beach near Oued Massa, southern Morocco. Sabine Zègres photographed the Red-billed Tropicbird at a beach near Oued Massa on 13 May 2021. The bird was heading north and, for a moment, seemed to have wanted to land near a small group of cormorants and gulls but continued flying

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Bird observations at Sidi Toui National Park, Tunisia

18 April 2021 / Birds of Tunisia

Dupont’s lark / Sirli de Dupont (Chersophilus duponti)

The authors from the Zoological Society of London report their bird observations at Sidi Toui National Park made during six surveys (in 4 years). Although the main focus of the surveys was to monitor the oryx and gazelle populations, their ornithological records were nevertheless very important as they added new information about the birds of

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Griffon Vulture breeds at Jbel Moussa, Morocco

22 February 2021 / Birds of Morocco, Conservation News

Griffon Vultures mating at Jbel Moussa, northern Morocco, January 2021 (Jbel Moussa Vulture Rehabilitation Centre).

Griffon Vulture started breeding again in Morocco following a very successful reintroduction trial at Jbel Moussa by the Moroccan Department of Forestry in cooperation with GREPOM. Watching Griffon Vultures mating and starting breeding for the first time ever at Jbel Moussa is a real joy. And that’s for several reasons, the most important of which

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First African Crake, Red-tailed Shrike and Little Bunting for Algeria

31 December 2020 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

Red-tailed Shrike / Pie-grièche du Turkestan (Lanius phoenicuroides), Skikda, northern Algeria, 9 Oct. 2020 (Youcef Karrit)

Three new species were added to the Algerian list in autumn 2020: Red-tailed Shrike, Little Bunting and African Crake. The Red-tailed Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides) was discovered and photographed at Skikda on 9 October by Youcef Karrit. This is also the first record for the whole Northwest Africa. Other closely related species are also very rare

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