Morocco 2011 Species List

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Birds (126 species)

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea - 25 Barrage Al Mansour and 2 south of Goulmima
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos - Barrage Al Mansour
Garganey Anas querquedula - Barrage Al Mansour
Quail Coturnix coturnix - 3 in oasis near 'wheatear wall'
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis - Barrage Al Mansour
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus - Barrage Al Mansour
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo - Barrage Al Mansour plus one flying south of Erfoud
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis - west of Ouarzazate and the low-lying Ourika valley
Little Egret Egretta garzetta - Barrage Al Mansour
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea - Barrage Al Mansour
White Stork Ciconia ciconia - 2 on nests 7km west of Skoura, 23 at Oued El Malah west of Ouarzazate
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia - 1 Barrage Al Mansour
Black Kite Milvus migrans - 5 near Rissani, 2 at Boumalne Tip
Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus - 1 north of N10 44km west of Errachidia
Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus - 1 female at Barrage Al Mansour
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus - mainly singles in deserts and mountains, less common than in December
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos - 1 immature with prey 45km west of El Keela
Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus - adult pale morph on Circuit Touristique and immature rufous morph at Boumalne Tip
Osprey Pandion haliaetus - 1 Barrage Al Mansour
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni - at least 2 near Rissani
Kestrel Falco tinnunculus - odd ones and twos in many places
Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus - 1 in Tagdilt area
Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides - pair at cliffs west of Rissani and single over N10 248km west of Errachidia
Coot Fulica atra - many at Barrage Al Mansour
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus - 4+ Barrage Al Mansour
Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus - 1 calling in night west of Skoura
Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor - 11 by oasis near 'wheatear wall'
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius - several in river beds with some water
Snipe Gallinago gallinago - 2 in wide river bed west of Erfoud
Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus - 2 in wide river bed west of Erfoud
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus - Barrage Al Mansour
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis - Barrage Al Mansour
Crowned Sandgrouse Pterocles coronatus - 13 at pools with water on Iknounen road
Rock Dove Columba livia - c.25 pure birds at Oukaimeden, Feral Pigeon common throughout
Woodpigeon Columba palumbus - 2 over Ourika valley
Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto - widespread
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis - up to 3 on Circuit Touristique
Paraoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus - male in crevice at cliffs west of Rissani, 1 calling at dusk in Tagdilt area
Little Owl Athene noctua - 2 by river at Zaouzt Sidi Ali on Circuit Touristique
Red-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis - one near road at cliffs west of Rissani
Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius- 2 singing and flying at dawn on tracks north of Auberge Tresor just south of small hillocks
Swift Apus apus - 1 north at Iknounen Road
Pallid Swift Apus pallidus - a few north near Boumalne and several around terminal building Marrakech Airport
Little Swift Apus affinis - 1 over Ourika valley
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus - up to 6 on Circuit Touristique plus 1-2 just west of Rissani and in wide river bed west of Erfoud
European Bee-eater Merops apiaster - c.20 at Ksar-el-Kebir-el-Kdim SE of Goulmima
Hoopoe Upupa epops - singles seen and heard in desert oases
Levaillant's Woodpecker Picus vaillantii - pair at nest site in Oukaimeden village
Bar-tailed Desert Lark Ammomanes cincturus - only in the eastern desert area
Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti - in deserts west of Fezna and in Boumalne area
Hoopoe Lark Alaemon alaudipes - several in western deserts and Tagdilt area
Thick-billed Lark Rhamphocoris clotbey - 2 over the Iknounen Road, 3 at Boumalne Tip and 1 at wadi on N10 248km west of Errachidia
Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla - common in deserts
Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens - small numbers in eastern desert and Tagdilt area
Crested Lark Galerida cristata - small numbers widespread, presumed Mahgreb Larks seen in Rissani area
Thekla Lark Galerida theklae - fairly common in stony deserts
Atlas Shore Lark Eremophila alpestris atlas - 4+ around the ski area at Oukaimeden
Temminck's Horned Lark Eremophila bilopha - a few in Tagdilt area
Sand Martin Riparia riparia - a few south of Erfoud
Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula - 2 at cliff on NE shore of Barrage Al Mansour plus several suspected elsewhere in east
Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris - several in High Atlas
Swallow Hirundo rustica - quite common in deserts
Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica - widespread in small numbers
House Martin Delichon urbica - singles south of Erfoud and at Erg chebbi
Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris - singles in eastern desert and Tagdilt area
Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava - several iberiae in damp river beds, 1 flavissima west of Erfoud
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea - singing male at river in Tinghir
White Wagtail Motacilla alba - small numbers, mainly in desert areas, 2 subpersonata in river bed west of Erfoud and 1 in river at Ourika Valley
Garden Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus - common and widespread in well vegetated areas
Wren Troglodytes troglodytes - 1 singing above first village down from Oukaimeden
Robin Erithacus rubecula - 1 calling in pines just below Oukaimeden
Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos - 2 singing in agricultural plain south of Marrakech
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros - numerous at Oukaimeden around resort and mast areas
Moussier's Redstart Phoenicurus moussieri - female at cliffs west of Rissani, male at teh Goulmima turn west of Fezna, singing males and pairs in mountains
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe - several singles in deserts
Seebohm's Wheatear Oenanthe (oenanthe) seebohmi - male by Soleil Bleu, Boumalne
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica - 1 in river bed west of Erfoud and 1 by river in plains south of Marrakech
Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti - very common in deserts
Red-rumped Wheatear Oenanthe moesta - fairly common west of Tinghir
White-crowned Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucopyga - very common in deserts and desert towns
Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura - pairs seen in mountains
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius - singles at Soleil Bleu and in mountains
Blackbird Turdus merula - quite common in desert oases
Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus - several at Oukaimeden
Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti - 1 singing at river in Tinghir and 1 in agricultural plain south of Marrakech
Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis - 2 singing near river bed in agricultural area south of Marrakech
Scrub Warbler Scotocerca inquieta - 2 east of Goulmima at 44km west of Errachidia
Saharan Olivaceous Warbler Iduna (pallida) reiseri - 3+ in tamarisks c.1km along Circuit Touristique
Isabelline Warbler Iduna opaca - 1 at river crossing south of Goulmima
Tristram's Warbler Sylvia deserticola - 1 male in tamarisks at cliffs west of Rissani
Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata - fairly common in low desert scrub
Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans - fairly common in deserts and oases
Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala - small numbers in suitable habitat
Desert Warbler Sylvia nana - a pair collecting nesting material 2-3km along Jasmina track
Western Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis - 1 in date palms between Erfoud and Rissani
Whitethroat Sylvia communis - 1 at cliffs west of Rissani
Western Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli - small numbers in oases and damp river beds
Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita - common in desert oases and damp river beds
(Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus - probables in in river bed west of Erfoud)
Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus - common in pines along mountain roads
Fulvous Babbler Turdoides fulvus - 6 in open cultivated aera south of Zaouzt Sidi Ali on Circuit Touristique
Coal Tit Periparus ater - in high pines in mountains
African Blue Tit Cyanistes teneriffae - quite common in high mountains, especially at Oukaimeden
Great Tit Parus major - in high pines in mountains
Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla - 1 heard singing along Oukaimeden road
Southern Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor/meridionalis elegans - quite common in deserts and low-lying cultivated areas
Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator - scattered singles widespread
Moroccan Magpie Pica pica mauritanica - pair at presumed nest site in agricultural plain south of Marrakech
Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus - common around Oukaimeden
Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax - common around Oukaimeden
Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis - up to 10 around Erg Chebbi and single at Scrub Warbler site
Raven Corvus corax - several in high mountains
Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor - a few along the Route d'Ourika near Marrakech
House Sparrow Passer domesticus - common and widespread
Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis - 1 with House Sparrow roost at cliffs west of Rissani
Desert Sparrow Passer simplex - 5-6 breeding in lone tree north of Sand Fisch near Erg Chebbi
Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia - common at Oukaimeden
African Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs africana - quite common and widespread in mountains and plain south of Marrakech
Serin Serinus serinus - fairly common and widespread
Greenfinch Carduelis chloris - a few in and around towns and cultivation
Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis - a few scattered records
Linnet Carduelis cannabina - very small numbers on desert areas
African Crimson-winged Finch Rhodopechys (sanguinea) aliena - just over 100 around the ski areas at dawn
Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus - small numbers in many desert locations
Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus - 1 singing in northern side of Tizi 'n' Tichka pass
Rock Bunting Emberiza cia - 2 in Oukaimeden village
House Bunting Emberiza striolata - 1 or 2 around many buildings including most of the hotels

Mammals
Cape Hare Lepus capensis - 1 flushed from small oasis near 'wheatear wall'
Lybian Jird Meriones libycus - 1 showed very well by the Merzouga road
Fat Sand Rat Psammomys obesus - common in Tagdilt area, especially at Boumalne Tip

Reptiles
Bibron’s Agama Agama impalearis - 1 on the Circuit Touristique
Moroccan Rock Lizard Scelarcis perspicillata - 1 in Oukaimeden
Atlas Day Gecko Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharus - many in Oukaimeden village and around the comms tower.

Butterflies
Green-veined White Pieris napi - 1 south of Rissani
Bath White Pontia daplidice - 1 south of Rissani
Swallowtail Papilio machaon - 1 south of Rissani
Cleopatra Gonepteryx cleopatra - several in High Atlas mountains
Clouded Yellow Colias croceus - scattered singles in deserts

Dragonflies
Vagrant Emperor Anax ephippiger - 1 positively identified at Rissani plus presumably the majority of the many resembling this species seen in the wider desert, often far from water.
Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii - 1 in river bed west of Erfoud.