MaghrebOrnitho

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

15 July 2019 / Birds of Tunisia

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

28 June 2019 / Birds of 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

25 June 2019 / Birds of 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

12 June 2019 / Mammals

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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Breeding of Great Spotted Cuckoo in Morocco

6 May 2019 / Birds of Morocco

Chicks of Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius), Fes, Morocco, April 2019 (Wafae Squalli).

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

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Moltoni’s Warbler in Morocco, Terek Sandpiper in Tunisia

30 April 2019 / Birds of Morocco, Birds of Tunisia

Moltoni’s Warbler (Sylvia subalpina), Merzouga, Morocco, 18 Apr. 2019 (Marc Illa).

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

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Birding Northern and Southern Algeria (trip report)

27 April 2019 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

Red-billed Firefinches (Lagonosticta senegala), Tamanrasset, southern Algeria (Sam Viles)

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

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DNA confirms Slender-billed Curlew is a valid species

20 April 2019 / Bird Taxonomy

Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), Merja Zerga, Morocco, winter 1995 (Chris Gomersall)

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

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Yellow-browed Warbler at Merzouga, Morocco

14 April 2019 / Birds of Morocco

Yellow-browed Warbler / Pouillot à grands sourcils (Phylloscopus inornatus), Merzouga, Morocco, 13 April 2019 (Marc Illa).

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,

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Presumed Collared x Pied Flycatcher hybrid at Merzouga, Morocco

11 April 2019 / Birds of Morocco

Presumed hybrid Collared X Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis X F. hypoleuca), Merzouga, Morocco, 10 April 2019 (Marc Illa).

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

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