First breeding records of Great Spotted Cuckoo north of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) is widespread in Southern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. The breeding of the species in North Africa is, however, far less common. The first breeding of the species in Morocco was recorded only in 1990 near […]
Breeding of Great Spotted Cuckoo in Morocco Read More »
Some recent rarities: Moltoni’s Warbler, Franklin’s Gull, Lesser Flamingo and Dunn’s Lark in Morocco and a Terek Sandpiper in Tunisia. Moltoni’s Warbler (Sylvia subalpina) A bird was captured and ringed at Merzouga Ringing Station, Morocco, on 18 April 2019 (Marc Illa and his co-workers). Only four records have been accepted by the Moroccan Rare Birds
Moltoni’s Warbler in Morocco, Terek Sandpiper in Tunisia Read More »
In March 2019, three birders – Peter Stronach, Bob Swann and Sam Viles – visited northern Algeria and the region of Tamanrraset in the south. The aim was to see the three most wanted species from the Western Palearctic birders’ perspective. Below is a summary of the main visited sites and key species. The full
Birding Northern and Southern Algeria (trip report) Read More »
The mitochondrial genome of the presumably extinct Slender-billed Curlew is sequenced for the first time. This confirmed that the species is genetically distinct from the related curlews. The Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) is one of the rarest bird species in the Palearctic region. Despite its rarity, it’s still officially categorized as a “Critically Endangered” species
DNA confirms Slender-billed Curlew is a valid species Read More »
A Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) caught and ringed at Merzouga Ringing Station yesterday by Marc Illa and his co-workers. Marc wrote in an email that “The bird had some fat, indicating probably a long flight, so perhaps coming from south of the Sahara (as it has been already documented to happen)”. [For non bird ringers,
Yellow-browed Warbler at Merzouga, Morocco Read More »
A presumed Collared x Pied Flycatcher hybrid ringed yesterday at Merzouga Ringing Station by Marc Illa, Ivan Maggini, Armando Aispuro and Georg Gruber. The bird was caught and ringed by experienced ornithologists who known what they are doing. Despite this, they added the adjective ‘presumed’, because they know that the identification of hybrid Ficedula flycatchers
Presumed Collared x Pied Flycatcher hybrid at Merzouga, Morocco Read More »
A cracking adult Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) photographed at Dayet Srij, a small temporary lake near Merzouga. It was discovered yesterday by Marc Illa, Ivan Maggini and Georg Gruber. This is the 10th record of this North American species for Morocco. It’s also the first one found far inland, all previous records were found on
Franklin’s Gull at Merzouga Lake, Morocco Read More »
An adult Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) was observed at the estuary of Oued Souss on the 1 January 2019 by a Swiss birding group (K. Varga, D. Henseler, S. Werner and R. Wüst). This is the 16th record for Morocco, and the third in Oued Souss. The next day, the bird was still present at
Lesser Flamingo at Oued Souss, Morocco Read More »
Dunn’s Lark reappeared at Merzouga almost 7 years later. Dunn’s Lark was discovered at Merzouga in April 2010 by a group of Austrian birders (Ernst Albegger and his colleagues). Breeding of the species was confirmed next month by Martin Barry, Benoît Maire and Alain Mathurin. Almost every birder who visited the area during this spring
Dunn’s Lark at Merzouga, Morocco Read More »
The last known Andalusian Buttonquail population is declining and its suitable habitats are shrinking according to a study published recently in Global Ecology and Conservation. The Common Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus) is widely distributed in Africa and South Asia and is currently categorized as ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List. However, the nominate subspecies –
Andalusian Buttonquail in Morocco is declining Read More »