Turtle Dove slaughter in Morocco by foreign hunters (video)

Turtle Dove slaughter in Marrakech region by foreign hunters. Those same hunters appeared in the video and other photos not shown here.

A massacre of nearly 1500 Turtle Doves in one day by foreign tourist hunters in the Marrakech region sparked great outrage in Morocco. The total exceeded by three times the hunting quota set by the law, according to an official inquiry. A hunting party organized in the region of Marrakech has turned into a real […]

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Great Spotted Cuckoo breeds in Algeria for the first time

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) begging for food from its adoptive parent, the Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica), north-east Algeria, July 2019 (Mourad Harzallah)

Breeding of Great Spotted Cuckoo in Algeria is confirmed probably for the first time ever. The breeding of Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator Glandarius) is Algeria was suspected based on old records, but probably never confirmed (see under the next photo). Last July, naturalist Mourad Harzallah confirmed the breeding of the species in Algeria beyond any

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Cape Verde Shearwater in the Canary Islands and Morocco

Movements of a Cape Verde Shearwater caught and GPS-tracked in Montaña Clara islet, off Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Data of the University of Barcelona's ‘Seabird Ecology’ group)

The Cape Verde Shearwater (Calonectris edwardsii), as its name may suggests, is an endemic breeder to Cape Verde islands, and winters mainly in South Atlantic off South America (González-Solís et al. 2009). The species rarely ventures north of its breeding areas (or so we thought!). During the breading season, Cape Verde Shearwaters also frequently visit

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22,000 Greater Flamingos nest at Sahline, Tunisia

Greater Flamingo breeding colony at Sahline saltpans, near Monastir, Tunisia, July 2019 (Hichem Azafzaf / Association « Les Amis des Oiseaux » (AAO/BirdLife in Tunisia)

A remarkable nesting event of Greater Flamingo at the Sahline saltpans in Tunisia. Une grande colonie de Flamant rose découverte en Tunisie (En français au-dessous de la vidéo). The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is a migratory species fairly well studied especially in the Mediterranean basin. The high dispersal capacity of the species, combined with a

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Finnish Pallid Harrier wintered in Morocco in a rich, yet dangerous area

Selja the Pallid Harrier after her arrival to Finland, spring 2019 (photo by Ari-Pekka Auvinen via SuomenLuonto.fi)

A Pallid Harrier satellite-tracked in Finland spent the winter in the Guelmim region, southern Morocco. The area is very rich in preys but also very dangerous for raptors because of electrocution. This is the first proven wintering record of the species in Morocco. Westward expansion of the Pallid Harrier Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) breeds in

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Répartition et évaluation de la vulnérabilité de la Pie du Maghreb (Pica mauritanica)

Maghreb Magpie / Pie du Maghreb (Pica mauritanica), north-east Algeria (Mourad Harzallah)

Lancement du projet Répartition et évaluation de la vulnérabilité de la Pie du Maghreb Pica mauritanica” (en français, veuillez voir après l’illustration). Until very recently, the Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica) was considered as conspecific with the Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica). However, a new study by Song and his co-authors published in 2018 found that Maghreb

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North African Ostrich eggs unearthed at Bir Anzarane, southern Morocco

North African Ostrich eggs found near Bir Anzarane, Oued Dahab region, southern Morocco

Three intact eggs of the North African Ostrich found near Bir Anzarane in Oued Dahab region. Trois œufs intacts d’autruche d’Afrique du Nord trouvés près de Bir Anzarane au sud du Maroc. In mid-May 2019, ‘Nature Initiative Association’ member Mohammed Fathi found three intact ostrich eggs at Taguerzimt near Bir Anzarane, Oued Dahab region. The

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First photographed Rüppell’s Warbler in Algeria

Rüppell's Warbler / Fauvette de Rüppell (Sylvia ruppeli), Djanet, south-east Algeria, 8 Dec. 2018 (K. Haddad & L. Afoutni)

The Rüppell’s Warbler (Sylvia ruppeli) breeds in northeastern Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey and small area in northwestern Syria), and winters mainly in the eastern part of the Sahel (Chad, Sudan). In Northwest Africa, the species is rare except in Libya where it’s a regular migrant. In Algeria, Isenmann & Moali (2000) cited only two previous records

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Sand Cats resting in bird nests built in tall Acacia trees

Sand Cat (Felis margarita) resting in Brown-necked Raven nest, southern Morocco (J. M. Bompar and co-authors)

Sand cats found resting in Brown-necked Raven nests. This original and previously undocumented behaviour was discovered in Western Sahara, southern Morocco. During a naturalist trip in the Dakhla-Aousserd region in autumn 2018, Jean-Michel Bompar and his colleagues found three sand cats (Felis margarita) resting in the nests of Brown-necked Ravens (Corvus ruficollis). The nests were

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