Marwa Messai, Mahdia Saidi-Touati, Hassiba Berraï, Samia Daoudi-Hacini, Djamel Hadj Aissa, Karim Attouche, Abdelwahab Chedad

Avifauna of Algiers Sahel, Algeria: checklist and overview of the current status

Abstract The southern coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea are considered an essential stopover for birds and an important place for their wintering and reproduction. Over a four-year period, from December 2019 to December 2023, a study on the avifauna of the Algiers Sahel region was carried out, using the point count method. This study was reinforced by subsequent surveys. A total of 246 species (102 of which were water birds) were recorded, belonging to 23 orders and 64 families. Among these, Passeriformes constituted the largest group with 25 families and 93 species, making up nearly 37.80% of the total. To classify these species, five phenological groups were established, with resident breeders constituting the predominant category, comprising approximately one-third of the total species. Seven trophic classes emerged, with invertivores emerging as the most prevalent, comprising 34 water birds and 84 land birds. Additionally, polyphagous birds ranked second in abundance with 40 species (16.26%). Biogeographically, the avifauna has 16 different origins. The Palearctic type accounted for almost 24.39% of the observed species. Monitoring efforts provided valuable insights into the state of the ecosystem and helped inform strategies aimed at reducing species loss.

Doi https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2024.2.2

Keywords Avifauna; biodiversity; Algiers Sahel; phenology; protection status

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