Sarra Benmetir, Amel Lazlia, Roumaissa Soltani, Karim Loucif, Samra Beddiaf, Abdennour Boucheker

Diurnal time budget of the Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax Carbo wintering at Lake Oubeira (El Tarf Province, north-eastern Algeria)

Santrauka The present study investigates the diurnal behaviour of the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo L.) at Lake Oubeira, a permanent freshwater ecosystem situated within the El Kala wetland complex in north-eastern Algeria, designated as a Ramsar wetland of international importance. The research focused on three main objectives: monitoring the temporal dynamics of the population frequenting the lake, analyzing spatial distribution patterns, and characterizing the species’ diurnal activity budget. Observations were carried out from December to April over two successive wintering seasons (2015/2016 and 2016/2017). Results indicated that the highest numbers of individuals were recorded during the first week of February 2016 and the first half of March 2017. Spatially, the species was predominantly observed in the north-eastern and south-eastern zones of the lake. Analysis of diurnal activity revealed notable interannual variation. During the 2015/2016 wintering season, flight activity was predominant (38%), followed by resting (28%), preening (19%), swimming (12%), and feeding (3%). In contrast, during the 2016/2017 season, preening was the most frequent activity (33%), followed by resting (28%), flying (22%), swimming (14%), and feeding (3%). This study constitutes the first documented assessment of the diurnal behaviour of the Great Cormorant during its wintering period in Algeria, and it provides novel insights into the behavioural ecology of the species within North African wetland ecosystems.

Doi https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2025.2.10

Raktažodžiai Great Cormorant; Lake Oubeira; population; spatiotemporal distribution; diurnal behaviour

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