Birds of Algeria's Journal

HADDAD, K., CHETIBI, M. & AFOUTNI, L. 2023. Nature et ampleur du commerce d’oiseaux exotiques à Tamanrasset (sud algérien) et nouvelle espèce pour la région [Nature and extent of the exotic bird trade at Tamanrasset (southern Algeria) and a new species for the region]. Go-South Bulletin, 20: 89-101.

Nature and extent of the exotic bird trade at Tamanrasset (southern Algeria) and a new species for the region.
In this article, we provide an annotated list of non-native bird species sold in pet stores or observed in the wild at Tamanrasset, southern Algeria. A total of 23 species have been identified in pet stores of the city, 9 species of which belong to the Order of Psittaciformes and 14 to the Order of Passeriformes. The origin of the traded species varies and includes Mediterranean species native to northern Algeria, species from the Sahel just south of Algeria, and species from far away (South America, Asia, and Australia). Six species have already been documented in the wild, with some of which have established breeding populations. Uncontrolled trade in exotic birds and subsequent release or escapes of these species may potentially pose a significant threat to the conservation of native species in the region.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375548599_Nature_et_ampleur_du_commerce_d%27oiseaux_exotiques_a_Tamanrasset_sud_algerien_et_nouvelle_espece_pour_la_region

HADDAD, K. & DEKKICHE, S. 2023. Reproduction de l’Échasse blanche Himantopus himantopus à la retenue collinaire El Mellah, Constantine, Algérie [Breeding of the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at El Mellah hill reservoir, Constantine, Algeria]. Go-South Bulletin, 20: 5-13.

Breeding of the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at El Mellah hill reservoir, Constantine, Algeria
Ornithological surveys in the wilaya of Constantine, north-east Algeria have been initiated by the ÉcoCirta association in 2014 to improve the knowledge of the local avifauna. This led to the discovery of the nesting of Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at one of the surveyed sites, El Mellah hill reservoir. This is the first documented breeding of the species in the region of Constantine.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372252162_Reproduction_de_l'Echasse_blanche_Himantopus_himantopus_a_la_retenue_collinaire_El_Mellah_Constantine_Algerie_Breeding_of_the_Black-winged_Stilt_Himantopus_himantopus_at_El_Mellah_hill_reservoir_Const

HADDAD, K., AFOUTNI, L. & CHETIBI, M. 2023. Statut de certains oiseaux notamment sahéliens dans le Sahara algérien (1ère parte) [Status of certain birds in particular Sahelians in the Algerian Sahara (firts part)]. Alauda, 91 (3): 183-192.

ABSTRACT.– Status of certain birds in particular Sahelians in the Algerian Sahara (first part).
Knowledge of the birds of Algeria has considerably progressed in recent years, especially in the south
of the country, mainly in the wilayas of Adrar, Djanet, Béchar, Bordj Badji Mokhtar, Illizi, In Guezzam,
Tamanrasset, and Tindouf. A series of surveys in southern Algeria by the authors of this work, completed
with data from other observers, resulted in the discovery of new species or stations, sometimes firsts
for the region, the country, the Maghreb, or North Africa. These include Rüppell's Warbler Sylvia ruppeli
(8-12-2018), Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus (5-10-2019), Rüppell's Vulture Gyps rueppelli (9-11-
2020), African Crake Crex egregia (27-11- 2020), Blue-naped Mousebird Urocolius macrourus (23-12-
2021), African Grey Woodpecker Dendropicos goertae (23-12-2021), Black Scrub Robin Cercotrichas
podobe (23-12-2021) and White-rumped Seedeater Crithagra leucopygia (31-01-2022). For each species,
we discuss whether the evidence suggests that they should be treated as genuine vagrants or escapes
from captivity. Southern birds are most often found in oases, gardens or farms, or wadis: where there
is abundant vegetation and water in an arid bioclimate, at altitudes ranging from 270 to 1814 meters.
This variety of species highlights the taxonomic richness and confirms the interest of prospecting this
part of the country, which is difficult to access but which has always been considered an important, though
poorly prospected, region by ornithologists of previous periods.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378104431_Statut_de_certains_oiseaux_notamment_saheliens_dans_le_Sahara_algerien_1ere_partie_Status_of_certain_birds_in_particular_Sahelians_in_the_Algerian_Sahara_firts_part

CHETIBI, M., HADDAD, K., AFOUTNI, L. & MAURAS, D. 2023. Premières preuves de reproduction du Tisserin vitelin Ploceu vitellinus et du Tisserin gendarme Ploceus cucullatus en Algérie [First proof of reproduction of the Masked Weaver Ploceu vitellinus and the Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus in Algeria]. Alauda, 91 (2): 133-139.

Southern Algeria has seen in recent years more and more observations of Sahelian bird species. If some are present or established in a natural way, others on the other hand are the result of the recent active bird trade in the area. In this paper we report the presence and the reproduction of the Vitelline Masked Weaver Ploceus vitellinus and the Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus in Algeria. The observations were made in April and June 2022 in the region of Tamanrasset located in extreme south Algeria in the Sahara desert. 30 Vitelline Masked Weaver with a breeding colony of 21 nests and 10 Village Weaver with a breeding colony of 6 nests were recorded.

BENDAHMANE, L., HADDAD, K., CHETIBI, M., AFOUTNI, L. & MENAA, M. 2022. Répartition du peuplement avifaunistique le long du gradient d’urbanisation de l’écosystème de Constantine, Algérie [Distribution of the bird community along the urbanization gradient of the Constantine ecosystem, Algeria]. Go-South Bulletin, 19: 63-74.

Distribution of the bird community along the urbanization gradient of the Constantine ecosystem, Algeria. This is a study of the distribution of sedentary and summer breeding bird species along the urbanization gradient of the city of Constantine, north-eastern Algeria. It is based on the method of Punctual Abundance Indices (IPA) that allows the census of bird species in the breeding period which extends from the beginning of March until the end of June and this is for three years (2015, 2016, and 2017). 69 listening points were set within the study area, and 57 bird species were identified. The exploitation of the data by the Canonical Analysis of Correspondences allowed us to better understand the mechanisms of organization of the avifauna in the gradient of urbanization of the city of Constantine. Keywords. Birds, Constantine, urbanization gradient, organizational mechanisms, ÉcoCirta. Résumé Il s’agit de l’étude de la répartition des espèces d’oiseaux sédentaires et estivants nicheurs le long du gradient d’urbanisation de la ville de Constantine, au nord-est de l’Algérie. Elle est basée sur la méthode des Indices Ponctuels d'Abondance (IPA) permettant de recenser les espèces d'oiseaux durant la période de reproduction qui s’étale du début mars jusqu’à la fin du de juin et ce durant trois années (2015, 2016 et 2017). 69 points d'écoute ont été fixés au sein de l’aire de l’étude, et 57 espèces d'oiseaux ont été recensées. L'exploitation des données par l’Analyse Canonique de Correspondances nous a permis de mieux comprendre les mécanismes d’organisation de l’avifaune dans le gradient d’urbanisation de la ville de Constantine. Mots-clés. Oiseaux, Constantine, gradient d’urbanisation, mécanismes d’organisation, ÉcoCirta

HADDAD, K. & AFOUTNI, L. 2022. Premier signalement du Pic Goertan Dendropicos goertae en Afrique du Nord. (First record of African grey woodpecker Dendropicos Goertae in North Africa). 4465, Alauda, Volume 90 (3): 73-76.

First record of the African Grey Woodpecker Dendropicos goertae in Algeria and north Africa. Four individuals of African grey woodpecker Dendropicos goertae were followed and observed on December 23, 2021 in south of the Algerian Sahara. A bird could be photographed. This is the first record of this woodpecker native to tropical parts of western and central Africa in Algeria and North Africa.

HADDAD, K., CHETIBI, M., AFOUTNI, L. & MAURAS, D. 2023. Status of Namaqua Dove in Algeria and recent observations in 2022 [Statut de la Tourterelle masquée en Algérie et observations récentes en 2022]. Dutch Birding, 45 (2): 123-126.

From 3 to 6 April 2022, a naturalist expedition was carried out in the region of Tamanrasset in southern Algeria by Larbi Afoutni and Mehdi Chetibi (association EcoCirta) and Daniel Mauras. In the morning of 5 April at c 07:00, a male Namaqua Dove Oena capensis was observed landing in the middle of a large acacia tree at Tabarkat, north of Tamanrasset, (22°47’46”N, 05°33’59”E; figure 1) by the three participants. After a few photographs were taken by DM (plate 115), the bird quickly flew to the ground a few meters further; however, it quickly resumed flight when it was approached and lost from view. The identification as a male Namaqua was straightforward, based on the small size for a dove, long and graduated and pointed tail, black face, throat and upperbreast, grey-brown upperparts, pale underparts, rufous outer wing (just visible in plate 115), grey-brown wing coverts with dark isolated spots and orange-red bill (cf Gibbs et al 2001). The black mask and colourfull bill are characteristic for males (Sinclair & Ryan 2011). The site was located on the edge of the right bank of Oued Tamanrasset not far from the Adriane mountain at an altitude of 1400 m, on the eastern fringe of the city and outside the conurbation. There was a mixture of arable land, a few large trees and some small water basins. Several wells have been dug and a few small open-air water basins built. Other bird species observed at the site included Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis, Collared Dove S decaocto, feral Rock Pigeon Columba livia, Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops, Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis, Saharan Olivaceous Warbler Iduna pallida reiseri, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin Cercotrichas galactotes, White-crowned Wheatear Oenanthe leucopyga, African Silverbill Euodice cantans, Senegal Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala and House Bunting Emberiza sahari. On 12 October 2022, at least two males and a juvenile Namaqua Dove were observed and photographed by Kamel Torki in the wilaya of Bordj Badji Mokhtar in extreme southern Algeria, close to the border with Mali (plate 116-117). He published his sighting on Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/4uuz96u2) and informed Khaled Ayyach, Mourad Harzallah and Mohamed Missoum, who came to the site to take photographs on 12-14 October (eBird 2022, iNaturalist 2022; plate 118). They reported six, 18 and one individuals, respectively, on the three consecutive days but without further details of sex and age. Some birds were well photographed and identified and sexed based on the same characters as described above for the bird at Tabarkat. From 1 to 8 December 2022, during a photographic journey to southern Algeria led by Hakim Benmokhtar, the group of photographers encounterd Namaqua Doves at two sites. On 3 December, two females were observed in flight and poorly photographed north of In Guezzam (19°36’38.293”N, 05°47’4.135”E). On 6 December, two males, two females and a juvenile were observed and photographed c 30 km south of Tamanrasset (22°30’4.97”N, 05°29’24.566”E).

HADDAD, K. & DEKKICHE, S. 2023. Reproduction de l’Échasse blanche Himantopus himantopus à la retenue collinaire El Mellah, Constantine, Algérie [Breeding of the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at El Mellah hill reservoir, Constantine, Algeria]. Go-South Bulletin, 20: 5-13.

Breeding of the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at El Mellah hill reservoir, Constantine, Algeria. Ornithological surveys in the wilaya of Constantine, north-east Algeria have been initiated by the ÉcoCirta association in 2014 to improve the knowledge of the local avifauna. This led to the discovery of the nesting of Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at one of the surveyed sites, El Mellah hill reservoir. This is the first documented breeding of the species in the region of Constantine. HADDAD, K. & DEKKICHE, S. 2023. Reproduction de l’Échasse blanche Himantopus himantopus à la retenue collinaire El Mellah, Constantine, Algérie [Breeding of the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at El Mellah hill reservoir, Constantine, Algeria]. Go-South Bulletin, 20: 5-13.

HADDAD (K.) & AFOUTNI (L.), 2022.- New data on range of Sudan Golden Sparrow and African Silverbill in Algeria. DUTCH BIRDING 44 (4) : p.293-298.
During a naturalist expedition in the extreme south of Algeria on 20-28 December 2021, African Silverbills Euodice cantans and Sudan Golden Sparrows Passer luteus were observed at three new sites, two in the province of Bordj Badji Mokhtar and one in the wilaya of In Guezzam. These are the first records of these two species in this region, representing a westward extension of the known distribution in Algeria.

HADDAD (K.), BELLATRECHE, (M.), MEBARKI (M. -T.) & AFOUTNI (L.)- DONNÉES NOUVELLES SUR L’AIRE DE RÉPARTITION DU MOINEAU DOMESTIQUE - Passer domesticus EN ALGÉRIE. 4435, p.297-300., ALAUDA, volume 89 (4) 2021.
Lors d’une sortie naturaliste dans le SudOuestAlgérien, entre le 21 et le 30 janvier 2020, des Moineaux domestiques Passer domesticus ont été observés pour la première fois dans deux sites de la Wilaya de Tindouf. Il s’agit de la première mention de Moineaux domestiques dans cette région.

New data on the range of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus in Algeria.
During a naturalist observation trip in south-west Algeria, between January 21 and 30, 2020, House Sparrow were observed for the first time in two sites in the Wilaya (department) of Tindouf. These data represent the first mention of House Sparrow in this region of the southwest Algerian.