List of birds of Morocco

This is a list of the bird species recorded in Morocco. The avifauna of Morocco include a total of 454 species (Bergier & Thévenot 2006), of which five have been introduced by humans and 156 are rare or accidental. Five species listed are extirpated in Morocco and are not included in the species count. Fifteen species are globally threatened.

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of the West Palearctic List Committee. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for Morocco.

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. Not all species fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring native species.

Table of contents

See also        References        External links

Ostriches

Order: Struthioniformes   Family: Struthionidae

The ostrich is a flightless bird native to Africa. It is the largest living species of bird. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at high speeds. It became extinct in Morocco some time before 1990 (Snow & Perrins 1998); a re-introduction programme for the North African ostrich is in progress (National Environment Observatory of Morocco 2001).

Swans, geese and ducks

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as swans and geese.

Pheasants and partridges

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, francolins and pheasants. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.

Guineafowl

Order: Galliformes   Family: Numididae

Guineafowl are a group of African birds that resemble partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled grey plumage.

Divers

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

Divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Grebes

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds.

Albatrosses

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

The albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses from the genus Diomedea have the largest wingspans of any extant birds.

Shearwaters and petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.

Storm petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

The storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds.

Gannets and boobies

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.

Cormorants

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags.

Darters

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae

Darters are water birds with a distinctive long slender neck and bill.

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak.

Bitterns, herons and egrets

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets.

Ibises and spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills.

Storks

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.

Flamingos

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres.

Kites, hawks and eagles

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

The Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. The lammergeier, dark chanting goshawk and tawny eagle are all close to being extirpated in Morocco.

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The Pandionidae family contains only one species, the osprey, a medium large bird of prey with a worldwide distribution.

Falcons

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.

Rails, crakes, gallinules and coots

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules.

Cranes

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. The demoiselle crane has been extirpated since 1985.

Bustards

Order: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae

Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. The Arabian bustard has been extirpated from Morocco since about 1985, and the houbara bustard is close to being extirpated.

Buttonquails

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Turnicidae

The buttonquails are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. They are close to being extirpated in Morocco.

Painted-snipe

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae

Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.

Oystercatchers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

Avocets and stilts

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts.

Thick-knees

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Burhinidae

The thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.

Pratincoles and coursers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Glareolidae

Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards.

Plovers and lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings.

Sandpipers and allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized waders including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Skuas

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings.

Gulls

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls and kittiwakes.

Terns

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Sternidae

Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head.

Skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rynchopidae

Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds.

Auks

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Alcidae

Auks live on the open sea, only deliberately coming ashore to nest.

Sandgrouse

Order: Pterocliformes   Family: Pteroclididae

Sandgrouse have small, pigeon like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies.

Pigeons and doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.

Parrots

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

Parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak shape.

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

The cuckoos are birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs.

Barn owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces.

Typical owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey.

Nightjars

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills.

Swifts

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying.

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.

Bee-eaters

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Meropidae

The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae.

Rollers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae

Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters.

Hoopoes

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Upupidae

Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head.

Woodpeckers and allies

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues.

Larks

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small terrestrial birds, mostly fairly dull in appearance.

Swallows and martins

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is a group of passerines adapted to aerial feeding.

Wagtails and pipits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

The Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails and pipits.

Bulbuls

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds.

Dippers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cinclidae

Dippers are a group of perching birds which specialise in feeding in running water.

Wrens

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

The wrens have short wings and thin down-turned bills.

Accentors

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Prunellidae

The accentors are in the only bird family which is completely endemic to the Palearctic.

Thrushes and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Cisticolas and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cisticolidae

The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer regions of the Old World.

Streaked scrub warbler

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Scotocercidae

Cettid warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cettiidae

Grassbirds and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Locustellidae

Reed warblers and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acrocephalidae

Leaf warblers and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Phylloscopidae

Old World warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sylviidae

The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds.

Kinglets

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

The kinglets, also called crests, are a small group of birds often included in the Old World warblers, but frequently given family status.

Old World flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. There 274 species worldwide, of which 5 species occur in Morocco.

Bearded reedling

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Panuridae

Laughingthrushes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Leiothrichidae

Long-tailed tits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Aegithalidae

Long-tailed tits are a group of small passerine birds with medium to long tails.

Tits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills.

Nuthatches

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds.

Wallcreeper

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tichodromidae

The wallcreeper is a small bird, with crimson, grey and black plumage, related to the nuthatches.

Treecreepers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below.

Penduline tits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Remizidae

The penduline tits are a group of small passerine birds related to the true tits.

Old World orioles

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Oriolidae

The Old World orioles are colourful passerine birds, not related to the New World orioles.

Bushshrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Malaconotidae

Bushshrikes are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush.

Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions on thorns.

Crows, ravens, jays and magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs and magpies.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds.

Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Sparrows are small passerine birds.

Waxbills

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae

The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia.

Vireos

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds mostly restricted to the New World.

Finches

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds.

Snow buntings and longspurs

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

Buntings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Emberizidae

The buntings are a large family of passerine birds.

See also

References

External links

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