SUB-REGION
North-West Africa
SIZE
252,120 km²
BIRDS AND BIRDING
SPECIES
Diversity
A mix of Afrotropical and Palaearctic elements in the avifauna
Approximately 330 recorded species
Birds best found in Western Sahara but occurring more widely (BT)
Golden Nightjar
Dunn’s Lark
Birds best found in two territories of the ABC region but occurring in more (B2)
Cricket Warbler
Proposed splits not yet accepted by IOC
Desert Grey Shrike
Saharan Scrub Warbler (B2)
Other taxa of interest
Barbary Partridge
Houbara Bustard
Spotted Sandgrouse
Crowned Sandgrouse
Cream-colored Courser
West African Crested Tern
Pharaoh Eagle-Owl
Brown-necked Raven
Greater Hoopoe-Lark
Thick-billed Lark
Desert Lark
Bar-tailed Lark
Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark
Thekla’s Lark
Maghreb Lark
Temminck’s Lark
Greater Short-toed Lark
Pale Crag Martin
African Desert Warbler
Tristram’s Warbler
Spectacled Warbler
Fulvous Babbler
Desert Wheatear
Red-rumped Wheatear
Black Wheatear
White-crowned Wheatear
Desert Sparrow
Sudan Golden Sparrow
Trumpeter Finch
House Bunting
MAIN HABITATS
Sandy desert, coastal wetlands
BIRD AREAS
None
BIRDING SITES
Dakhla bay and Aousserd area
TIMING (Jan–Mar)
Best after the rains (Jan–Apr)
Avoid the hot dry season (May–Aug)
RESOURCES
Apps
Collins Bird Guide
Field guides
Collins Bird Guide by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney & Dan Zetterström (2022)
Sounds
African Bird Sounds/Oiseaux d’Afrique Vol 1: North-west Africa, Canaria and Cap-Verde Islands/Sahara, Maghreb, Madère, Canaries & Iles du Cap-Vert by Claude Chappuis
Site guides
Where to Watch Birds in Morocco by Patrick & Fédora Bergier (2017)
Further reading
Oiseaux du Sahara Atlantique Marocain by Patrick Bergier, Michel Thévenot & Abdeljebbar Qninba (2017)
Birds of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East: an Annotated Checklist by Dominic Mitchell (2017)
Morocco by Chris Magin in Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority Sites for Conservation edited by Lincoln D C Fishpool & Michael I Evans (2001)
Articles in Bull. ABC, Malimbus, etc.
ORGANISATIONS
There is currently no BirdLife Partner in Western Sahara
Bird or conservation organisations active in Western Sahara include –
Association Nature Initiative (ANI)