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The Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita in Morocco since 1900: Analysis of ecological requirements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2019

ANDRE SCHENKER ,
FABIAN CAHENZLI ,
KARL G. GUTBROD ,
MICHEL THEVENOT  and
ANDREAS ERHARDT
ANDRE SCHENKER*
Affiliation:
Gartenstrasse 4, 4142 Münchenstein, Switzerland.
FABIAN CAHENZLI
Affiliation:
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Department of Crop Sciences, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070 Frick, Switzerland.
KARL G. GUTBROD
Affiliation:
meteoblue AG, Greifengasse 38, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
MICHEL THEVENOT
Affiliation:
353 chemin des Mendrous, 34170 Castelnau-le-Lez, France.
ANDREAS ERHARDT
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Botanical Institute, Schönbeinstrasse 6, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
*
*Author for correspondence; e-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

The Northern Bald Ibis (NBI) Geronticus eremita, is an ‘Endangered’ bird species of which only very few wild breeding colonies have survived along the Atlantic coast of south-west Morocco. This paper analyses ecological conditions of the 72 breeding sites of the NBI that have been known since 1900 in Morocco. Characterisation of breeding sites is based on physical criteria (elevation above sea level, geomorphology, mean annual precipitation and types of landscape) as well as land use, vegetation cover, infrastructure and types of settlement within three perimeters (0–1 km, > 1–5 km and > 5–10(20) km) using Google Earth satellite images. Statistical analyses of the number of breeding pairs, fledglings and rainfall during different quarters of the year from 1994 to 2016 in the two remaining breeding sites in Souss-Massa National Park and Tamri showed expected patterns as well as unexpected differences between the two localities. Based on our findings and indications in the literature, we suggest general and specific recommendations for potential future translocation projects of the NBI. Based on the analysis of the 28 breeding colonies existing after 1977, two elements emerge as the most important prerequisites: a low level of disturbances at the breeding sites and adequate feeding areas at a reasonable distance of 5–15 km.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , March 2020 , pp. 117 - 138
Copyright
Copyright © BirdLife International 2019 

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