The approach of the birds to use physical and alimentary resources in degraded and modified natural habitats is an important aspect of their adaptation. This study was undertaken during 2016-2017 at forty habitats in the Moulouya plain, Morocco to examine behavioral diet, habitat use and foraging ecology of turtle dove, Streptopelia turtur. We monitored turtle doves in four major plots namely cereal plots, lucerne farms, apple orchards, and stations in the Ansgmir River covering 40 habitats. Digestive tract contents were also identified and evaluated for 68 Turtle Doves shot by hunters during two consecutive years. The results showed that the turtle doves use a variability of feeding habitats. The cereal cultivation seemed to be more preferable habitat for feeding especially in the month of May, the first breeding phase of the year. But, during the months of August and July, the riverbanks were the preferred habitat for turtle doves. The diet of this species is polyphagous and diverse with a granivorous tendency. Diet analysis showed that soft wheat and barley seeds constituted 44.53% and 38.74% respectively followed by barley seeds with 38.74% and sand stones (9.16%) of the seeds eaten by Turtle Doves. However, moderate proportion of elements (7.32%) remained undefined. All these aspects, including the variability of feeding habitats and the wide diet seem to be an adaptive strategy followed by turtle dove to counter the degradation and the modification of its natural feeding habitats.

Breeding success plays a crucial role in the dynamics of bird populations and yet is the least-studied avian life-stage. Habitat quality during breeding phase may have important implications for survival and conservation, particularly for declining populations in landscapes that have undergone wide-scale human modification. The European Turtle dove is a widespread but fast declining species both in breeding and wintering zones. Reduced food availability is thought to influence breeding success of this game species, but it is not known how agriculture practices could influence breeding Doves, in its high altitude breeding zones. Here, we monitored Turtle dove nests in apple orchards from early Marsh to the end of October 2015. Nest-tree support, breeding success, and predation were determined and analysed depending on agricultural practices. Compared to prune, cherry and other plantation, apple orchards had the highest overall Turtle doves’ nests (85%). However, 60% of recorded nests were located on Golden delicious, where are noted the highest nesting success rates (respectively 77.6% and 57.9% for eggs and chicks). However, Turtle dove showed high rate of nesting failure in the Midelt region, more especially in apple orchards, and this is mainly due to predation attacks, which caused a loss of 77.8% of broods, both among eggs and chicks. In addition, several farming practices in apple orchards influenced significantly nesting success of this species. In fact, this game bird does not breed in the orchards covered by hail-nets. Similarly, tree pruning disturb doves nesting on apples.

The analysis of biological diversity at a regional scale is the first step to understand and classify the biological importance of a specific region and therefore the adoption of implementing conservation strategies. We conducted weekly bird counts by using the point count method from January 2015 to December 2017 in Midelt province, Morocco. A total of 130 bird species were observed, among breeding, migrant, and wintering species belonging to 42 families. Accipitridae (15 species), Muscicapidae (9 species), and Alaudidae (9 species) were the most observed families. Order of Passeriformes was the dominant order represented with 16 families and 68 species. Moreover, five species of conservation concern were recorded such as the vulnerable European turtle dove, houbara bustard, and Dupont’s lark; the near threatened ferruginous duck and bearded vulture; and the endangered Egyptian vulture. On the other hand, the results of the diversity analysis (Margalef index, Shannon–Wiener index, and Simpson index) showed the highest diversity in wetlands, forests, steppes, and farmlands, while cliff, landfills, and urban areas were the least diversified habitats. Finally, with its geographic situation between humid Atlas and Sahara desert, as well as the diversity of habitats and avifauna, Midelt region needs advanced analysis in terms of biodiversity and environmental characteristics, in order to provide effective conservation management.

In this study, we investigated the avian diversity and threatening factors in five peri-urban sites around Fez city (Morocco) for 2 years (2018–2019). The study hosted 131 avian species, including 64.88% breeding species, 19.84% migrant winterers, and 11.45% migrant breeders. Five species of conservation concern such as the vulnerable European turtle dove and the European goldfinch, the near-threatened ferruginous duck and bar-tailed godwit, and the endangered white-headed duck were recorded. Most bird species were recorded at the Oued Fez River (26.89%) and the El Mehraz dam (25%), followed by the El Gaada dam (17.4%), the Ain Bida garbage dump (15.5%), and the Ain Chkef Forest (15.18%). About 44.44% of the breeding species were found at Oued Fez, along with 33.33% at the El Mehraz dam, while El Gâada, Ain Chkef, and Ain Bida hosted only 7.40% of species. An important breeding population of the endangered white-headed duck was recorded at El Mehraz and Oued Fez. The extension of farmlands, urbanization, touristic activities, and drought constitute the most menacing factors for the avian diversity and their habitats in Fez.

The migratory time, breeding chronology, and reproductive success of the European turtle doves (Streptopelia turtur) were studied in Midelt as a high-altitude breeding habitat and Beni Mellal as a low-altitude breeding site from 2015 to 2018 in Morocco. Migration dates, breeding phenology, and breeding success were recorded from March to October for each season. As a result, during four years, arrival dates were earlier at the low breeding site, while departure dates were earlier at the high breeding site. Similarly, breeding phenology from nest building to fledging was early at low-altitude site. On the other hand, with four breeding seasons and 893 nests (467 at Midelt and 426 at Beni Mellal), average breeding success was 57% of chicks at Midelt compared to 60.15% at Beni Mellal. Moreover, at Midelt, 18.89% of eggs and 10.54% of chicks were predated, while at Beni Mellal 21.80% of eggs and 4.65% of chicks were deserted due to human disturbance. As a response, at Midelt breeding period was shorter and shifted to hot periods to ensure better reproductive success. Finally, our results highlight that the turtle dove breeding season is later and shorter at breeding highlands, which might allow this bird to avoid the vigorous climate conditions at mountains and their effect on reproductive success.

The European Blackbird (Turdus merula) is a widespread species. In Morocco, available knowledge on this species is limited to a few descriptive pieces of information with no detailed data provided. With climate change and the intensification of agricultural activities, the study of the breeding performances of this species is indispensable for management purposes. This study investigates breeding biology, nesting habitats, breeding chronology, and reproductive success of the European Blackbird in both apple orchards and surrounding woody vegetation at Ait Ayach (Morocco) between March and August 2016. We monitored weekly nest status, nesting sites, breeding dates, and failure factors. Results showed that the European Blackbird nests mainly in apple orchards, on Golden Delicious and Starkrimson Delicious trees. Nest height above the ground was 214.15±0.09cm. Blackbird nests were cup-shaped with medium size dimensions and built from twigs, including dry leaves, stems, and roots walled by the mud. Breeding activities started firstly by nest construction during the last week of April, secondly by egg laying during the first week of May, and thirdly by hatching during the second week of May. Among the 74 surveyed nests, 100 were active during the nesting phase and 88.38 of eggs have succeeded during the incubation phase. In total, 69.03 of chicks have been emancipated. In short, 15.9 of clutches were attacked by predators, 14.35 of clutches were failed due to nest desertion, and 8.75 of chicks were dead. Our study provides the first and only detailed data on reproductive parameters of the European Blackbird in Moroccan ecosystems. Data collected from this study provide valuable information for long-term monitoring of the Moroccan Blackbird population. Additionally, our data offer a possibility of large-scale comparative studies of the reproductive ecology of the Blackbird species.