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Endemic birds

Index of articles about bird species and subspecies that are endemic to the Maghreb (Northwest Africa).

Reintroduction of Double-spurred Francolin in Morocco

11 January 2023 / Birds of Morocco, Conservation News
Double-spurred Francolin / Francolin à double éperon (Pternistis bicalcaratus), Central Plateau, Morocco, 31 December 2021 (Abdeljebbar Qninba).

Report about the recent efforts to reintroduce the Double-spurred Francolin into its former historical range in Morocco. Double-spurred Francolin (Pternistis bicalcaratus) occurs in two disjoint areas. The largest population is distributed mainly in West Africa eastwards to Cameroon and south-western tip of Chad in Central Africa. The second population, which is much smaller and critically …

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Algerian Nuthatch habitat threatened by a controversial project

18 January 2021 / Birds of Algeria, Conservation News
Algerian Nuthatch (Sitta ledanti), Bouafroun Forest, Djimla, Algeria, July 2019 (Walid Soukkou).

A project to create a “recreational forest” in the Bouafroun Forest in Djimla could jeopardise the habitat of the Algerian Nuthatch and other wildlife according to Algerian environmental activists. The project named “Bouafoune Forest for Entertainment and Recreation, Jijel” is developed by a private investor under the name “Bouafroune Services & Commerce Ltd”.  It was …

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

9 March 2022 / 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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New Algerian Nuthatch breeding site discovered in 2018

2 March 2021 / Birds of Algeria
Algerian Nuthatch / Sittelle Kabyle (Sitta ledanti), Djimla forest, Wilaya of Jijel, Algeria, July 2017 (Djamel Hadj Aissa).

A new breeding site of the Algerian Nuthatch was discovered last spring, that’s almost three decades since the last similar discovery. Until now, the Algerian Nuthatch (Sitta ledanti) was known only in four sites, namely the forests of Babor, Guerrouch, Tamentout and Djimla (see map below). All sites are close to each other but separated …

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Atlas and Balearic crossbills genetic divergence

27 December 2020 / Bird Taxonomy, Birds of Algeria, Birds of Morocco, Birds of Tunisia
Atlas Crossbill / Bec-croisé du Maghreb (Loxia curvirostra poliogyna), north-east Algeria (Mourad Harzallah‎).

North African (or Atlas Crossbill) and Balearic crossbills are the most genetically divergent among all Common (Red) Crossbill subspecies in the Western Palearctic according to a new study. This divergence is even greater than between the Common and Parrot crossbills. Parmi toutes les sous-espèces du Bec-croisé des sapins (Loxia curvirostra) dans le Paléarctique occidental, le …

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The Algerian Nuthatch twitch: easier than you think

29 November 2020 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

The Algerian Nuthatch (Sitta ledanti) is a dream species for every Western Palearctic birder, especially so since the 1990s with the start of what they call in Algeria the “Black Decade”. However, although the security situation in the whole country has improved greatly since many years now, many WP birders still hesitating to visit Algeria …

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Algerian Nuthatch status and breeding biology at the Guerrouch forest

9 January 2021 / Birds of Algeria
Algerian Nuthatch / Sittelle kabyle (Sitta ledanti), Guerrouch forest, Taza National Park (Jijel, Algeria)

The Algerian Nuthatch population has declined at one of its main breeding areas according to a study published recently. In this guest-blog, the lead author, Riadh Moulaï, shares with us the main results of the study. En français, voir au dessus de la vidéo. The Algerian Nuthatch (Sitta ledanti) is endemic to Algeria, and it’s …

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Premières observations de la ‘Bergeronnette du Maroc’ en Algérie

17 October 2020 / Birds of Algeria
Moroccan Wagtail (Motacilla alba subpersonata), Béchar, western Algeria, September 2016 (Ali Mehadji)

La Bergeronnette du Maroc (Motacilla alba supersonata) est un taxon endémique à l’Afrique du Nord-Ouest. Avant les années 1960, ses zones de reproduction principales sont situées dans la partie ouest du Maroc entre le Haut Atlas et la côte atlantique, ainsi que dans le nord-est du pays. Depuis les années 1960, elle a commencée à …

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A new Common Chaffinch subspecies in North Africa

12 July 2020 / Bird Taxonomy
Three subspecies of Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) in North Africa: F. c. africana, F. c. spodiogenys and F. c. harterti ssp. nov.

A new subspecies of Common Chaffinch endemic to north-east Libya was described by Lars Svensson in a recent paper. Below are the summary and the main conclusion taken from the paper: “A new subspecies of Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs in North Africa is described. It is restricted to northern Cyrenaica in north-east Libya. Differences from …

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Rare observations of Marsh Owl in northernmost Morocco

5 January 2019 / Birds of Morocco
Marsh Owl / Hibou du Cap (Asio capensis), Lower Loukkos marshes, December 2014 (Imad Yassine).

Marsh Owl (Asio capensis) is represented by an endemic subspecies in Morocco (tingitanus) and it’s Critically Endangered. In the past, the species used to breed in the majority of the marshy areas in northwest Morocco. However, nowadays the northern limit of its breading range is Lower Loukkos, where some pairs still breed in the marshes. …

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