Alauda

SOCIÉTÉ D’ÉTUDES ORNITHOLOGIQUES DE FRANCE - MNHN

Revue internationale d’OrnithologieVolume 88 (4) 2020

4 382. BERNARD-LAURENT (A.), ANCEAU (C.) & FAIVRE (T.).– Interactions entre ongulés domestiques et Perdrix bartavelles Alectoris graeca saxatilis en cours d’incubation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 383. PURENNE (R.).– Les oiseaux marins nicheurs des falaises du Bessin occidental (Calvados) . . . . . . .4 384. MILLOT (A.), CHAÏB (F.), MÉZIÈRE (S.), LAGNIAU (M.), CASTELAIN (A.), BARBIER (L.), LORTHIOIS (M.)

& BEAUDOIN (C.).– Sur l’habitat et des parades nuptiales du Butor étoilé Botaurus stellaris dans lemarais Audomarois (Nord et Pas-de-Calais) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 385. RAJAONARIVELO (J.A.), ANDRIANARIMISA (A.), RAHERILALAO (M.-J.) & GOODMAN (S.M.).– Réparti-tion verticale des oiseaux dans les forêts sèches de l’Ouest de Madagascar (1re partie) . . . . . . . . . . .

4 386. DEMAY (J.), SIRAMI (C.), LANG (M.), RONDEAU (A.), BIZET (D.), MOLLARD (M.), RAVAYROL (A.) &BESNARD (A.).– Caractérisation de l’évolution des communautés d’oiseaux sur les Causses Méri-dionaux du Massif Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NOTES ET ARTICLES COURTS

4 387. ÉRARD (C.).– *Sur des comportements aériens et vocaux pré-aube du Tarier pâtre Saxicola rubicola .4 388. HADDAD (K.), AFOUTNI (L.) & MEBARKI (M.T.).– *Répartition actuellement connue du Moineau

doré Passer luteus dans le Sud de l’Algérie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 389. PURENNE (R.).– *Épaisseurs de nid exceptionnelles chez le Cormoran huppé Phalacrocorax

aristotelis aux îles Saint-Marcouf (Manche) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 390. AILAM (O.) & BOULAOUAD (B.A.).– *Faucon crécerelle Falco tinnunculus nichant sous un nid de

Cigogne blanche Ciconia ciconia en Algérie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 391. OUNI (R.) & MILADI (B.).– *Première observation de l’Autour sombre Melierax metabates en

Tunisie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 392. BELIS (W.) & DEBOUT (G.).– *Bibliographie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CONTENTS

4 382. BERNARD-LAURENT (A.), ANCEAU (C.) & FAIVRE (T.).– Interactions between incubating Rock Par-tridges Alectoris graeca saxatilis and domestic livestock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 383. PURENNE (R.).– Cliff-nesting seabirds on Western Bessin (Calvados, France). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 384. MILLOT (A.), CHAÏB (F.), MÉZIÈRE (S.), LAGNIAU (M.), CASTELAIN (A.), BARBIER (L.), LORTHIOIS (M.)

& BEAUDOIN (C.).– Habitat and courtship behaviour of the Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris atthe Audomarois marshes (North France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 385. RAJAONARIVELO (J.A.), ANDRIANARIMISA (A.), RAHERILALAO (M.-J.) & GOODMAN (S.M.).– Verticaldistribution of birds in different dry forest types of western Madagascar (1st part) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 386. DEMAY (J.), SIRAMI (C.), LANG (M.), RONDEAU (A.), BIZET (D.), MOLLARD (M.), RAVAYROL (A.) &BESNARD (A.).– Recent evolution of bird communities of the Southern Causse landscapes (MassifCentral, France). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NOTES AND SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

4 387. ÉRARD (C.).– *About pre-dawn aerial and vocal displays of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola . . . . . . . . . . .4 388. HADDAD (K.), AFOUTNI (L.) & MEBARKI (M.T.).– *Current known distribution of the Sudan Gol-

den Sparrow Passer luteus in South Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 389. PURENNE (R.).– *Exceptional nest thicknesses in the European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis in

the Saint-Marcouf Islands (Manche) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 390. AILAM (O.) & BOULAOUAD (B.A.).– *Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus nesting under a White

Stork Ciconia ciconia nest in Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 391. OUNI (R.) & MILADI (B.).– *First observation of Dark Chanting Goshawk Melierax metabates in

Tunisia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 392. BELIS (W.) & DEBOUT (G.).– *Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SOMMAIRE

161-170171-190

191-200

201-210

211-220

221-226

226-228

229-232

233-234

235-236237-239

161-170171-190

191-200

201-210

211-220

221-226

226-228

229-232

233-234

235-236237-239

LXXXVIII. — 4. 2020ALAUDA (nouvelle série) LXXXVIII.– 4 . 2020

n ARDÉIDÉS DU LAC NASSER:Découverte d’importantes colonies

n PIE-gRIèChE mÉRIDIoNALE:Aire de répartition et déplacements

n FAUvEttE PItChoU: Statut dans le marais poitevin

n PIC DE LILFoRD: Étude muséologique

n goÉLAND LEUCoPhÉE URbAIN: Étudedans la capitale d’Algérie

ALAUDARevue internationale d'Ornithologie

Nouvelle série

LXXXVIII N° 4 2020

Les articles sont publiés dans l’ordre d’arrivée à la Rédaction une fois validés par le Comité de lecture.La classification ainsi que la nomenclature suivent l’IOC World Bird List (www.worldbirdnames.org).

Alauda 88 (4), 2020 : 241-2564393

LARGE BREEDING COLONIES OF HERONS, EGRETS AND GLOSSY IBIS AT LAKE NASSER (EGYPT)

Jens HERING(1), Stefan FISCHER(2), Olaf GEITER(3), Jonas WOBKER(4), Stefan SIEGEL(5), Hans-Jürgen EILTS (6), Elmar FUCHS(7), Dick HOEK(8) & Mohamed HABIB(9)

Découverte�d’importantes�colonies�d’ardéidéset�d’ibis�sur�le�Lac�Nasser�(Égypte).�Le lac Nassersitué dans le Sud de l’Égypte constitue l’une desplus grandes retenues artificielles du monde :500 km de long pour 6216 km2 de superficie dont5250 km2 en Égypte (soit 10 fois le lac Léman) et162 milliards de mètres cubes d'eau en plein dé-sert. La mise en eau a commencé en 1964 pours’achever en 1976. Ce réservoir est classé d’im-portance internationale pour l’avifaune. Cependant,jusqu’à présent, les connaissances sur la faune desoiseaux nicheurs de cette région ont été relative-ment faibles. Lors de trois expéditions menées parbateau entre Assouan et Abou Simbel en 2016,2017 et 2019, nous avons découvert de grandescolonies (mixtes) de hérons, d’aigrettes et d’ibis.Nous avons observé sept espèces différentes sereproduisant dans ces colonies : l’Ibis falcinellePlegadis falcinellus, le Bihoreau gris Nycticorax nyc-ticorax, le Crabier chevelu Ardeola ralloides, leHéron garde-bœufs Bubulcus ibis, le Héron cendréArdea cinerea, le Héron pourpré Ardea purpurea

et l’Aigrette garzette Egretta garzetta. Nous avonsdénombré entre 11 (2019) et 23 (2016) colonies reproductrices avec un total minimum de 1107(2019) à 1628 (2016) couples reproducteurs ; chif-fres probablement sous-estimés d’environ 50 %. Lescolonies se trouvaient sur des îles principalementdu côté ouest de la côte. Les nids étaient principa-lement situés dans les buissons de Tamaris du NilTamarix nilotica de 1 à 5 mètres au-dessus du sol.Les colonies décrites dans cette étude sont défini-tivement parmi les plus importantes de ce grouped’espèces en Égypte et dans tous les pays d’Afriquedu Nord. De plus, ces données sont les premièresconcernant la reproduction de certaines espèces dulac Nasser (Ibis falcinelle, Bihoreau gris, Hérons cen-dré et pourpré) et le premier pour l’Égypte depuis plusde 100 ans (Héron cendré). Dans cette étude, nousdiscutons du statut de reproduction actuel de toutesles espèces mentionnées dans la région du lacNasser. De plus, nous présentons les données d’unsuivi de la reproduction des ardéidés dans la régiond’Assouan, qui a été réalisé en 2008.

Mots-clés: Réservoir, Lac Nasser, Assouan, Dénombrement, Ardéidés, Ibis, Colonies, Égypte.

Dedicated to Paul ISENMANN for his never-ending commitment towards his work on the bird life of North Africa.

Detailed surveys on breeding birds of LakeNasser, southern Egypt, are lacking so far. Onlyfor the surroundings of Aswan and Abu Simbeldata about breeding populations of some speciesare available (GOODMAN & MEININGER, 1989;BAHA EL DIN & BAHA EL DIN, 1990; BAHA EL DIN,1994; HOEK, 2007). At the end of April/beginningof May 2016 and 2017, and from the beginningto the middle of May 2019, we conducted threeboat trips to investigate breeding bird speciesfrom Aswan to Abu Simbel (HERING & GRIMM2017; HERING & HERING 2018; HERING et al., 2016,2017, 2018, 2019). On these boat trips we dis-covered large breeding colonies of herons, egretsand Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus on islands inthe lake. The selection of species included Glossy

Ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nyc-ticorax, Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides, CattleEgret Bubulcus ibis, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea,Purple Heron Ardea purpurea and Little EgretEgretta garzetta. Until now, only little informationabout heron and egret colonies at Lake Nasser hasbeen published. These concerned the occurrenceof Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Squacco Heron(GOODMAN & MEININGER, 1989; HOEK, 2007).

Because of the poor knowledge on the occur-rence of these species at the southern edge of theWestern Palearctic, we present the results of ourmonitoring in this study. Furthermore, addi-tional data about breeding herons in the Aswanregion is provided.

Alauda 88 (4), 2020242

Large�breeding�colonies�of�herons,�egrets�andGlossy�Ibis�at�Lake�Nasser/Egypt.�Lake Nasserin the south of Egypt is one of the largest man-madewaters worldwide and categorized as an ImportantBird Area. However, up to now knowledge about thebreeding-bird fauna of this area has been relativelypoor. In three expeditions conducted by boat be-tween Aswan and Abu Simbel in 2016, 2017 and2019, we discovered large (mixed) colonies ofherons, egrets and Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus.We observed seven different species breeding inthese colonies: Glossy Ibis, Black-crowned NightHeron Nycticorax nycticorax, Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, GreyHeron Ardea cinerea, Purple Heron Ardea purpureaand Little Egret Egretta garzetta. We found between11 (2019) and 23 (2016) breeding colonies with a

total of at least 1,107 (2019) to 1,628 (2016) breed-ing pairs. The colonies were found on islands main-ly on the west side of the coast. Nests were most-ly situated in Tamarisks Tamarix nilotica 1 to 5 me-tres above the ground. The colonies described inthis study are definitively among the largest breed-ing occurrences of this species group in Egypt andall North-African countries. Moreover, these recordsare the first certain breeding records for somespecies for Lake Nasser (Glossy Ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron, Grey Heron, Purple Heron)and the first for Egypt for more than 100 years (GreyHeron). In this study we discuss the current breed-ing status of all mentioned species in the LakeNasser region. Additionally, we present data of aheron breeding monitoring in the Aswan region,which was conducted in 2008.

Keywords: Egypt, Lake Nasser, Aswan, Breeding colonies, Herons, Egrets, Glossy Ibis.

(1) Wolkenburger Straße 11, 09212 Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany (jenshering.vso-bibliothek@t-online.de). (2) Unter den Eichen 1a, 14641 Paulinenaue, Germany (fischer@dda-web.de).(3) Institute of Avian Research - Vogelwarte Helgoland, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany (olaf.geiter@ifv-vogelwarte.de).

(4) Workgroup on Endangered Species, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, 37073 Göttingen, Germany (jonas.wobker@stud.uni-goettingen.de).

(5) Thomas-Mann-Straße 20, 02625 Bautzen, Germany (Siegel-Stefan@gmx.net).(6) Heimat 91C, 14165 Berlin, Germany (h-j.eilts@gmx.de).(7) Abraham-Lincoln-Straße 31, 99423 Weimar, Germany (elmar.fuchs@gmx.de).(8) Van der Duijn van Maasdamweg 438, 3045PE Rotterdam, The Netherlands (dick.hoek@yahoo.com).(9) PO Box 432, Hurghada, Egypt (mrhydro35@hotmail.com).

STUDY AREA AND METHODS

Our study area was Lake Nasser, which is ahuge reservoir of the river Nile in the south ofEgypt. Lake Nasser is one of the largest man-made waters in the world. The filling of the reser-voir started in 1964 and finished 1976. Thischanged the appearance of the Nile in this arearadically for more than 500km. Once a river, it isnow a lake, which is defined as an ImportantBird Area (BAHA EL DIN 2001). The Sudanese sideof the lake is called Lake Nubia and was not cov-ered. More information about the lake can befound in ENTZ (1976), GOODMAN & MEININGER(1989) and BAHA EL DIN (2001). The study areawas investigated with the permission and supportof local authorities. Intensive expeditions tookplace on a route of some 450km from Aswan toAbu Simbel, mostly on the western side of thelake with one boat from 24 April to 7 May 2016(participants: J. HERING, Hans-Jürgen EILTS,Elmar FUCHS, Mohamed HABIB, Mary MEGALLI),and with two boats each from 22April to 6 May2017 (participants: J. HERING, Stefan FISCHER,Stefan SIEGEL, H.-J. EILTS, Olaf GEITER, M. HABIB,Mathias MÄHLER, M. MEGALLI, Gerhard NIKOLAUS,Carlotta SCHULZ, Andreas SIEGMUND, MartinWINTER) and from 3 May to 20 May 2019 (partic-ipants: J. HERING, Hans-Joachim FÜNFSTÜCK,O. GEITER, Tim KORSCHEFSKY, Tobias KRAUSE,Victoria MADER, Bastian MEISE, Daniela PILGRIM,Lothar SPATH, Jannik STIPP, Michael WIMBAUER,Jonas WOBKER). The third expedition in 2019also led us to Wadi Allaqi on the east side of thelake, which was not visited in 2016 and 2017.Outside the breeding season a boat trip was doneon the same route as in spring 2017 from 2 to 6January 2018 to check selected colony locations(participants: J. HERING, Heidi HERING). InApril/May 2012 a pilot trip to Abu Simbel wasundertaken (participants: J. HERING, H.-J. EILTS,E. FUCHS, Wieland HEIM). Moreover, additionalobservations are used in this study, especiallyfrom a bird count on Lake Nasser from 21 to 26May 2007 and a monitoring of the breedingheron species in the Aswan region conductedfrom 20 April to 20 May 2008 (Dick HOEK).

To find breeding colonies, islands and areasclose to the shore were systematically checked for

herons and nests. We determined the geographiccoordinates of the colonies for exact localisation.

In most cases it was not possible to count theexact number of occupied nests because of thedense vegetation and poor visibility. Therefore,the colonies were entered by one part of the team,while the other participants counted the flyingadults departing from the colony. For the sake ofsimplicity, we estimated the number of breedingpairs to be half of the total number of adults with-in the colony. As mainly only one adult is pres-ent in the colonies while incubation and rearingthe young in herons and egrets, and in somespecies such as Grey Heron the two adults maybe absent in the colony from the third week oftheir young, when they only return for rapid feed-ing of their young (MARION 1988), our methodcan produce an underestimation of the total pop-ulation of up to 50% more. As the breeding sta-tus of the species and pairs within the colonieswas sometimes quite different (nest building, egglaying, breeding, young of different age classes)and, the exact behaviour of the species on LakeNasser and the presence of non-breeding adultswithin the colonies are unknown our conserva-tive estimate seems justified. Obvious roostingcommunities not belonging to the breedingpopulation were excluded.

In 2016 all participants of the expedition weretotally surprised und overwhelmed by the largecolonies. Therefore, the 2016 data are more of arough estimate and are a bit out of the ordinarycompared to the data from 2017 and 2019. Thefocus should therefore be on the figures from2017 and 2019.

In 2017 and 2019 we ringed some nestlings ofthe different species with metal rings of the ring-ing scheme Helgoland (Germany). Most nestlingwere too small for ringing at that time. There-fore, only a small number were ringed. SomeGrey and Purple Herons were additionallymarked with coded colour rings.

RESULTS

Distribution and breeding habitatBreeding colonies were situated mainly at

the western part of the lake and exclusively onislands in 2016 and 2017. In 2019, three colonies

Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis 243

Alauda 88 (4), 2020244

no. Site Coordinates Species�composition�and�estimated Datenumbers�of�breeding�pairs

Pf Nn ar bi ac ap Eg2017_01

2017_02

2017_03

2017_04

2017_05

2017_06

2017_07

2017_08

2017_09

2017_10

2017_11

2017_12

2017_13

2017_14

2017_15

2017_16

2017_17

2019_01

2019_02

2019_03

2019_04

2019_05

2019_06

2019_07

2019_08

2019_09

2019_10

2019_11

–

–

–

–

4

75

7

18

15

15

–

60

13

13

75

–

–

–

25

210

10

–

9

–

–

–

–

1

–

–

–

–

4

–

3

1

15

–

4

27

3

23

40

–

–

–

29

2

–

20

25

–

–

–

–

2

–

–

–

–

10

5

5

–

3

–

6

3

3

3

13

–

30

–

21

2

–

10

–

–

48

–

20

–

–

–

–

20

8

3

–

10

–

125

20

8

50

15

–

120

–

128

9

–

29

–

–

20

–

1

2

5

>2

5

7

6

7

2

9

>2

9

1

17

20

1

–

4

–

23

46

–

1

5

–

–

1

2

15

3

–

–

–

–

–

1

–

–

–

–

–

–

2

–

20

–

2

2

1

4

–

–

–

–

6

4

–

–

5

40

18

6

1

15

–

40

5

4

30

40

20

80

–

80

16

–

17

–

8

50

–

23.04.2017

24.04.2017

24.04.2017

25.04.2017

25.04.2017

25.04.2017

26.04.2017

26.04.2017

26.04.2017

26.04.2017

26.04.2017

26.04.2017

26.04.2017

26.04.2017

27.04.2017

29.04.2017

30.04.2017

04.05.2019

04.05.2019

05.05.2019

06.05.2019

07.05.2019

09.05.2019

09.05.2019

10.05.2019

11.05.2019

13.05.2019

15.05.2019

Island 26 km south of theAswan damIsland 33 km south of theAswan damIsland near the entrance ofKhor Kalabsha (West)Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island in Khor Kalabsha (West)

Island near the entrance ofKhor Kalabsha (West)Island 16 km south of GarfHusseinIsland 7 km north of El Seboua TempleIsland 14 km south of theAswan dam= 2017_03

= 2017_14

Island near the entrance ofKhor Kalabsha (West)Garf Hussein

Bay 6 km south of Garf HusseinIsland near the entrance ofWadi AllaqiIsland south of the entrance of Wadi Allaqi17 km southwest of El Seboua TempleIsland 8 km north of Toshka Island

Toshka Island

23°43’53” N/32°53’11” E

23°40’20” N/32°52’20” E

23°33’32” N/32°44’21” E

23°32’53” N/32°43’12” E

23°32’36” N/32°42’41” E

23°32’11” N/32°40’41” E

23°32’35” N/32°40’34” E

23°32’38” N/32°40’21” E

23°32’08” N/32°39’46” E

23°32’21” N/32°39’18” E

23°32’04” N/32°38’40” E

23°30’02” N/32°37’04” E

23°30’11” N/32°34’27” E

23°28’29” N/32°36’35” E

23°31’47” N/32°44’21” E

23°05’57” N/32°41’20” E

22°50’59” N/32°33’52” E

23°50’09” N/32°52’49” E

23°29’42” N/32°49’33” E

23°14’42” N/32°43’33” E

23°11’11” N/32°42’49” E

22°59’31” N/32°55’58” E

23°00’20” N/32°43’53” E

22°42’28” N/32°24’14” E

22°33’59” N/31°49’17” E

22°29’32” N/31°48’25” E

TabLE I.– Overview of the heron, egret and Glossy Ibis breeding colonies with species composition and breedingpair numbers in 2017 and 2019 (see FIGS. 1 and 2 for distribution). Pf - Glossy Ibis; Nn - Black-crowned Night

Heron; ar - Squacco Heron; bi - Cattle Egret; ac - Grey Heron; ap - Purple Heron; Eg - Little Egret.

Aperçu des colonies reproductrices de hérons, d'aigrettes et d'ibis et nombre de couples reproducteurs des différentes espèces en 2017 et 2019 (cf. FIGS. 1 et 2 pour la localisation).

Pf - Ibis falcinelle ; Nn - Bihoreau gris ; Ar - Crabier chevelu ; Bi - Héron garde-bœufs ;Ac - Héron cendré ; Ap - Héron pourpré ; Eg - Aigrette garzette.

Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis 245

FIG. 1.– Heron, egret and Glossy Ibis colonies on LakeNasser in 2016 (large green dots), 2017 (medium red

dots) and 2019 (small blue dots).Colonies d’ardéidés et d’ibis sur le lac Nasser en 2016(cercle vert), 2017 (cercle rouge) et 2019 (cercle bleu).

PhoTo 1.– Mixed colony (Ardeola ralloides, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea cinerea, Ardea purpurea, Egretta garzetta)on an island with Nile Tamarisks Tamarix nilotica, Khor Kalabsha (West), 26 April 2016 (J. HERING).Colonie mixte (Ardeola ralloides, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea cinerea, Ardea purpurea, Egretta garzetta) sur une île avec des Tamaris du Nil Tamarix nilotica, Khor Kalabsha (Ouest), 26 avril 2016.

0 60km

Khor Kalabsha(West)

Aswan

Garf Hussein

Abu Simbel

Alauda 88 (4), 2020246

FIG. 2.– Detailedmap of heron,

egret and GlossyIbis colonies inKhor Kalabsha(West) in 2016

(large green dots),2017 (medium red

dots) and 2019(small blue dots).

Carte détaillée descolonies d’ardéi-dés et d’ibis àKhor Kalabsha(Ouest) en 2016(cercle vert), en2017 (cercle

rouge) et en 2019(cercle bleu).

PhoTo 2.– Mixed colony (Plegadis falcinellus, Ardeola ralloides, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea cinerea, Egretta garzetta) on an island with Tamarisks and Common Reed Phragmites australis,

Khor Kalabsha (West), 26 April 2017 (J. HERING).Colonie mixte (Plegadis falcinellus, Ardeola ralloides, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea cinerea,

Egretta garzetta) sur une île couverte de Tamaris du Nil et de Roseau commun Phragmites australis, Khor Kalabsha (Ouest), 26 April 2017.

0 5km

were on the mainland. In 2017 the northernmostbreeding site was found 26km south of theAswan dam at 23°43’53”N / 32°53’11” E, the mostsouthern was at 22°50’59”N / 32°33’52”E(TABLE I). In 2019 one colony was found furthernorth, 14km south of the Aswan dam at23°50’09”N / 32°52’49” E. Another large mixedcolony was situated outside the study area justnorth of the Aswan high dam (24°03’08”N /32°52’11”E, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, Greyand Purple Heron, Little Egret). In 2019 a sin-gle Grey Heron breeding pair was found muchfurther south on Toshka-Island at 22°29’04”N /31°48’57”E. In the same year one colony wasfound on the eastern side of the lake at the en-trance to Wadi Allaqi at 22°59’32”N / 32°55’58”E(FIG. 1). An obvious concentration of breedingsites was observed in all years in Khor Kalabsha(West), where we found e.g. 12 from all togeth-er 16 breeding colonies in 2017 (FIG. 2).

The nests were mainly situated on NileTamarisks Tamarix nilotica 1 to 5 metres abovethe ground (PHOTO 1). On some islands nestwere also found in Common Reed Phragmitesaustralis (PHOTO 2). At one site nests were situ-ated in Hyoscyamus muticus (PHOTOS 10, 11). In2019, Grey Heron and Little Egret nests werefound on rocks (PHOTOS 7, 8).

Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis 247

PhoToS 3,�4.– Mixed colonies on islands with Nile Tamarisks, Khor Kalabsha (West).Colonies mixtes sur îles avec Tamaris, Khor Kalabsha (Ouest).

(3) Nycticorax nycticorax, Ardeola ralloides, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea cinerea,Ardea purpurea, Egretta garzetta, 5 May 2019 (H.-J. FüNFSTüCK).

(4) Plegadis falcinellus, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea cinerea,Egretta garzetta, 25 April 2017 (J. HERING).

Species composition and breeding pairnumbers

In the three study years we found between 11(2019) and 23 (2016) breeding colonies with a to-tal of 1,101 (2017) to 1,628 (2016) breedingpairs of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis. The highnumber of breeding pairs in 2016 may be causedby overestimation due to the unexpected findingof the colonies in the first expedition year, whilethe high number of colonies is real. The totalbreeding pair numbers of the species differed fromyear to year (TABLE II). Glossy Ibis was the mostfrequent species in 2016 and 2017. Cattle Egret hadthe highest breeding pair numbers in 2019.Purple Heron was the rarest species in all threeyears (details are given in the species section).

Most settlements were mixed species colonieswith up to seven species (three cases in 2019 andone case in 2016). From 17 colonies in 2017 9 con-sisted of 6 species, 2 of 5, 2 of 3, 1 of 2 and 3 of asingle species (twice Grey Heron and once LittleEgret).

Speciesn GLOSSY IBIS Plegadis falcinellus.– With 367

estimated breeding pairs in 2016 in 13 colonies,295 pairs in 10 colonies in 2017 and 254 pairs infour colonies in 2019 this species was the mostcommon in two years. The species was found ex-clusively in Khor Kalabsha (PHOTO 5). Thelargest colony comprised 210 pairs in 2019 on anisland with only 13 Glossy Ibis pairs in 2017, in-dicating a strong dynamic between years. Thespecies exclusively bred in mixed colonies

together with heron and egret species. In 2017,16 and in 2019, 3 nestlings of Glossy Ibis wereringed. At the end of April and beginning of May2017 and 2019 most nests contained eggs and upto one-week old nestlings, which were too smallfor ringing.

n LITTLE BITTERN Ixobrychus minutus.– Nobreeding of this species was recorded, but speci-mens were regularly observed in suitable habitats.Thus, breeding seems likely. Five Little Bitterns of

Alauda 88 (4), 2020248

FIG. 3.– Total number of heron, egret and GlossyIbis breeding pairs on Lake Nasser in 2017.Nombre total de couples nicheurs d’ardéidés et

d’ibis sur le lac Nasser en 2017.

Species Number�of�breeding�pairs�(and�colonies)2016�(23�colonies) 2017�(17�colonies) 2019�(11�colonies)

Plegadis falcinellus 367 (13) 295 (10) 254 (4)Nycticorax nycticorax 107 (11) 121 (10) 76 (4)Ardeola ralloides 85 (11) 53 (10) 111 (5)Bubulcus ibis 338 (9) 279 (10) 306 (5)Ardea cinerea 335 (17) 96 (16) 80 (6)Ardea purpurea 40 (5) 23 (5) 29 (5)Egretta garzetta 356 (15) 234 (14) 251 (6)all�species 1,628 1,101 1,107

TabLE II.– Total number of heron, egret and Glossy Ibis breeding pairs found on Lake Nasser in the three study years. Nombre total de couples nicheurs d’ardéidés et d’ibis sur

le lac Nasser durant les trois années d’étude.

295

121

53279

96

23423

Plegadis falcinellus - Glossy IbisNycticorax nycticorax - Black-crowned Night HeronArdeola ralloides - Squacco HeronBubulcus ibis - Cattle EgretArdea cinerea - Grey HeronArdea purpurea - Purple HeronEgretta garzetta - Little Egret

Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis 249

Date Site age Wing�length�(mm) Weight�(g)30 April 2012 Abu Simbel > 1st year female 143.5 116.01st May 2012 Abu Simbel > 1st year female 147 120.07 May 2016 Abu Simbel > 1st year female 147 120.024 April 2017 Khor Kalabsha 2nd year male 152 134.419 May 2019 Aswan 2nd year male 149 152.5

TabLE III.– Weight and wing length of ringed Little Bittern. Masse corporelle (g) et longueur d’aile pliée (mm) des Blongios nains bagués.

PhoTo 5.– Breeding Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus in a mixed vegetation of Tamarisks and Reed, Khor Kalabsha (West), 6 May 2019 (H.-J. FüNFSTüCK). Ibis falcinelle nichant dans une végétation mixte de

Tamaris et de Roseau, Khor Kalabsha (Ouest), 6 mai 2019.

PhoTo 6.– Green-backed Heron Butorides striata atricapilla on Toshka Island.

May 2019 (H.-J. FüNF S TüCK). Héron strié sur l’île de Toshka, mai 2019.

the nominate race were caught and ringed in mistnets while trapping songbirds (TABLE III).

n GREEN-BACKED HERON Butorides striata.–Green-backed Heron was recorded on LakeNasser for the first time on 7 January 2018, whenan immature bird was caught in a mist net onToshka-Island. Here we had also two recordswithin the breeding season 2019, one bird of thesubspecies atricapillawas observed on 15 and 16May, respectively (Photo 6).

n BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON Nycticoraxnycticorax.– In 2016 107 Black-crowned NightHeron pairs were found on 11 sites. In 2017 werecorded 121 pairs at 10 sites and in 2019 76 pairsat 4 sites (PHOTO 3). The highest number of pairsin a colony was 50 (2016). In 2017 4 nestlings ofBlack-crowned Night-Herons were ringed.

n SQUACCO HERON Ardeola ralloides.– In 2016and 2017 Squacco Heron was one of the rarerspecies with 85 pairs in 11 colonies and 53 pairsin 10 colonies. 111 pairs were estimated in 5colonies in 2019 (PHOTOS 1, 3). The largestcolony comprised 48 pairs in 2019. In 2017 1nestling was ringed. In 2019 3 individuals werecaught in mist nets and ringed at 22°42’29’’Nand 32°24’14’’E.

n CATTLE EGRET Bubulcus ibis.– Cattle Egretwas one of the most common species in thecolonies at Lake Nasser in 2016 (338 found pairsin 9 colonies) and 2017 (279 pairs in 10 colonies)and the most common species in 2019 with 306pairs at 5 sites (PHOTOS 1, 4). The largest coloniescontained 128 and 120 pairs in 2019 and 125pairs in 2017. In 2017, 4 and in 2019, 2 nestlingsof Cattle Egret were ringed. Hatching in thisspecies was relatively late in comparison to theother species.

n GREY HERON Ardea cinerea.– With 335breeding pairs in 17 colonies Grey Heron wasone of the most common species in 2016. In thefollowing years much fewer pairs were estimated(96 pairs at 16 sites in 2017 and 80 pairs at 6 sites

Alauda 88 (4), 2020250

Date Site age Wing�length�(mm) Weight�(g)12 May 2019 Lake Nasser 2nd year 202 224,712 May 2019 Lake Nasser > 2nd year 212,5 228,212 May 2019 Lake Nasser 2nd year 228 275,1

TabLE IV.– Weight and wing length of ringed Squacco Herons. Longueur d’aile pliée (mm) et masse corporelle (g) des Crabiers chevelus bagués.

PhoToS 7,�8.– Rocky cliffs with nests of GreyHeron Ardea cinerea and solitary nest on a

rocky island, near Wadi Allaqi, 10 May 2019. (H.-J. FüNFSTüCK). Parois rocheuses avec nidsde Héron cendré et nid isolé sur un îlot rocheux,

près de Wadi Allaqi, 10 mai 2019.

in 2019) (PHOTOS 1, 4). The largest colony with100 breeding pairs was found in 2016. In 2019, 6broods at 2 sites took place on rocks near WadiAllaqi (PHOTOS 7, 8). In 2017, 37 and 2019, 8nestlings of Grey Herons were ringed, some withadditional colour rings of a colour ring schemefor this species from Germany. Onset of breedingseems to differ between years. In 2017, mostyoung Grey Herons had an age of 3 to 4 weekson 24 April, but some were less than 1.5 weeksold and too small to be ringed. In the beginningof May 2019 most nests contained eggs or smallnestlings.

n PURPLE HERON Ardea purpurea.– PurpleHeron was the rarest species in the colonies in allthree years, with 40 found pairs at 5 sites in 2016(PHOTO 9), 23 pairs at 5 sites in 2017 and 29 pairsat 5 sites in 2019. The largest numbers within acolony were counted with 20 pairs in 2016 and2019. In 2016 in one colony two nests were doc-umented with three eggs and one nest with threenestlings. Despite the quite low number of breed-ing pairs, 29 nestlings were ringed in 2017, as theyoung were mainly in the right age for ringing(mainly 2.5 to 3 weeks on 24 April). In 2019 only2 nestlings could be ringed, because all othernestlings were too small. Some individuals wereringed with additional colour rings of a colour ringscheme for this species from Germany.

n LITTLE EGRET Egretta garzetta.– In the threestudy years Little Egret belonged to the morecommon species, with 365 found pairs in 15colonies in 2016, 234 pairs in 14 colonies in 2017

Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis 251

PhoTo 9.– Juvenile Purple Heron Ardea purpurea in anest in a Tamarisk, Khor Kalabsha (West), 29 April2016 (J. HERING). Hérons pourprés juvéniles au nid

dans un Tamaris, Khor Kalabsha (Ouest), 29 avril 2016.

PhoTo 10.– Tree nests of Little Egret Egretta garzettain a dead Tamarisk (left) and ground nests of the

same species on a small rocky island with Hyoscyamus muticus (right), north of Toshka Island,

11 May 2019 (J. HERING). Trois nids d’Aigrette garzette dans un Tamaris mort (à gauche) et plusieurs nids sur une petite île avecfourré à Jusquiame égyptienne Hyoscyamus muticus(à droite), Nord de l’île de Toshka, 11 mai 2019.

➙

and 251 pairs in 6 colonies in 2019. The largestcolony size was estimated with 120 pairs in 2016.In 2019 some nests were found on the groundand in Hyoscyamus muticus plants on a small flatrocky island north of Toshka-Island (Photos 10,11). Little Egret was the only species breeding onan island covered exclusively by dead Tamarisks(PHOTO 10). In 2017, 72 and in 2019, 25 youngLittle Egrets were ringed. In May 2019 mostnestlings were too small to be ringed.

DISCUSSION

The large mixed breeding colonies with to-gether more than 1,000 breeding pairs of herons,egrets and Glossy Ibis, which we found on LakeNasser in 2016, 2017 and 2019, are definitivelyamong the largest breeding occurrences of thisspecies group in Egypt and all North-Africancountries (GOODMAN & MEININGER, 1989; ISEN-MANN & MOALI, 2000; THÉVENOT et al., 2003;ISENMANN et al., 2005; ISENMANN et al., 2010;ISENMANN et al., 2016). Because of our countingmethod (s. Study area and methods) the esti-mated number of breeding pairs could representonly 50% of the real population.

Our expeditions on Lake Nasser resulted inthe first certain breeding records for somespecies at Lake Nasser (Glossy Ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron, Grey Heron, PurpleHeron) and the first for Egypt since more than100 years (Grey Heron) (TABLE V). We foundseven species breeding within the colonies, butsingle broods of Green-backed Heron and LittleBittern cannot be excluded.

While ETCHÉCOPAR & HÜE (1967) mentionedthe breeding of Glossy Ibis in the Nile delta,MEININGER et al. (1986) remarked that “there isnot a single observation supporting the statement”.These authors, as well as GOODMAN & MEININGER(1989) knew this species only as a passage mi-grant and rare summer visitor in Egypt. BAHA ELDIN (1993) described mixed colonies in theNile Delta with a possible small breeding pop-ulation of Glossy Ibis but without mentioningany breeding records. In 2008, 250 Glossy Ibis in-cluding recently fledged juveniles were observedat Abbasa fish farms, Sharqia. Breeding of thisspecies was suspected some 15 years ago (DEMEY,2009). Our record of more than 250 breedingpairs in all three study years with numerousclutches and nestlings represent the first breed-

Alauda 88 (4), 2020252

PhoTo 11.– Nests of Little Egret Egretta garzetta in Hyoscyamus muticus, north of Toshka Island, 11 May 2019 (J. HERING).

Nids d’Aigrette garzette dans des fourrés de Jusquiame égyptienne, Nord de l’île de Toshka, 11 mai 2019.

ing records of the species for Lake Nasser and ob-viously the largest occurrence in Egypt.

We found no evidence for breeding of the Little Bittern at Lake Nasser during our expedi-tions. However, we observed several individualsin suitable habitats during our trips. In Aswanand surroundings Little Bittern is a not uncom-mon resident breeding bird, restricted to reedbeds. Therefore, breeding on the Lake Nasserseems not unlikely.

For the Green-backed Heron GOODMAN &MEININGER (1989) mentioned no breedingrecord for Egypt outside the Red Sea coast. Ac-cording to MEININGER (1994) breeding of thesubspecies B. s. atricapilla along the EgyptianNile is likely. DIJKSTRA (1997) described a breed-ing record of this species in the Botanical Gar-den of Aswan from 1993. These individuals werealso identified as the subspecies B. s. atricapilla.

Nowadays Green-backed Heron seems to be aregular, not uncommon resident breedingspecies in the Nile Valley from Aswan to Cairoincluding the Fayum and the delta up to theMediterranean Sea (e. g. DEMEY, 2008). In 2008roughly 15-30 pairs were estimated in the Aswanregion. The observations on Toshka-Island inMay suggest breeding on Lake Nasser as well.

The Black-crowned Night Heron is a possiblebreeding bird species in the upper Nile valley ac-cording to GOODMAN & MEININGER (1989). BAHAEL DIN (1993) interpreted his breeding records inthe Nile valley in 1992 as the first for Egypt since1922. The species was recorded at Lake Nasser inMay 2007 but no breeding birds within the fewheron colonies were found. HOEK (2007) saw 25-50 birds within a mixed breeding colony onBahrif Island, north of Aswan, some of them

Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis 253

TabLE V.– Summarized knowledge on breeding status of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis in the Nile valley, incl. Lake Nasser, prior and after the expeditions from 2016 to 2019.

Résumé des connaissances sur le statut de reproduction des ardéidés et des ibis dans la vallée du Nil, couvrant le Lac Nasser, avant et après les expéditions de 2016 à 2019.

Plegadis falcinellus

Ixobrychus minutus

Butorides striata

Nycticorax nycticorax

Ardeola ralloides

Bubulcus ibis

Ardea cinerea

Ardea purpurea

Egretta garzetta

Some recent breeding evidencefrom the Nile delta

Breeding resident; may have bredlocally, south to Aswan

Only proof of one breeding record in Aswan (DIJKSTRA, 1997)

Probably rare breeding residentnear Aswan

Rare breeding resident near Aswanand recent breeding records fromLake Nasser

Common breeding resident incl.Lake Nasser

Casual breeding resident in the beginning of the 20th century in Giza

Recent breeding evidence in Aswanand probable breeding Lake Nasser

Breeding resident; south to Aswan

Found breeding in allyears

No evidence of bree-ding; observations during breeding time

No evidence of bree-ding; observations during breeding time

Found breeding in allyears

Found breeding in allyears

Found breeding in allyears

Found breeding in allyears

Found breeding in allyears

Found breeding in allyears

First breeding evidence for LakeNasser and largest breeding population in Egypt

First breeding evidence for LakeNasser and important part ofthe breeding population inEgypt

First breeding evidence forEgypt after more than 100 years

First breeding evidence for LakeNasser

1) Breeding status according to GOODMAN & MEININGER (1989) and other sources for the Nile Valley (incl. Lake Nasser)2) Present study

Species breeding� Lake�Nasser Commentsstatus(1) 2016-2019(2)

carrying sticks. Later, also young nestlings fallenout of the nest were recorded in the same area. In2008 a total of 90 breeding pairs were estimatedon Bahrif island and in the village of Bahrif. Ourbreeding records with more than 100 pairs intwo of three study years and 76 pairs in the thirdyear are the first on Lake Nasser and obviouslyrepresent an important part of the total breed-ing population in Egypt.

MEININGER et al. (1986), GOODMAN &MEININGER (1989) and HOEK (2007) describedsmall colonies of Squacco Heron at the Nile nearAswan. In the village of Bahrif near Aswan 20 to30 pairs where estimated in 2008. In May 2007breeding was recorded for Lake Nasser withmore than 10 pairs found in the Khor Essuntaarea, 20 pairs in Khor Koresko and “a few” pairsnorth of Subua. This is the first breeding evi-dence for Lake Nasser. Our findings from 2016to 2019 confirm the regular breeding occurrenceof the species.

The Cattle Egret is a common breeding residentin the Nile Valley and locally in the Nile Delta andSuez Canal area (GOODMAN & MEININGER, 1989;PINEAU, 1992; SIBLET, 2010). Colonies are alsoknown from the surrounding of Aswan (HOEK,2007). In 2008 a total of 365 breeding pairs werefound at different locations in the surrounding ofAswan. There are several breeding records fromLake Nasser, e. g. more than 20 pairs in the KhorEssunta area and 5 pairs in Khor Koresko in May2007. With about 300 breeding pairs we found thatthe Cattle Egret is a common and well distributedspecies on Lake Nasser.

NICOLL (1912) reported about a Grey Heronbreeding pair with one fledged young in Giza in1909. In 1910 one pair bred again in an AleppoPine and in 1911 one pair undertook a breedingattempt. In 1918 a wild pair bred in the Zoolog-ical Gardens at Giza (RAW, 1921). With referenceto these only documented Egyptian nestingrecords, GOODMAN & MEININGER (1989) declaredthe Grey Heron as a casual breeding resident.There are only some references to observationson Lake Nasser. In 2007 and 2008 no breedingbirds were observed on Lake Nasser and in theAswan region. Our breeding records are the firstones for Egypt since 100 years and obviously thefirst for Lake Nasser.

GOODMAN & MEININGER (1989) described thePurple Heron as “a fairly common passage visi-tor” throughout the country and “a rare winterand summer visitor to the Nile Valley”. There is noindication of any breeding occurrence. HOEK(2007) found 5 - 10 breeding pairs on Bahrif Is-land, north of Aswan. In 2008 10 - 20 pairs wererecorded at that location. Moreover, an unknownnumber of pairs “in a huge reedbed near the air-port of Aswan” was observed (HOEK 2007). HOEKet al. (2010) recorded a maximum of about 100individuals at an artificial wetland close toAswan. It was considered that up to 5 pairs arepossibly breeding in the Khor Essunta area onLake Nasser in May 2007. Our breeding recordsare the first proven records for Lake Nasser andrepresent an important part of the obviouslysmall breeding population in Egypt.

GOODMAN & MEININGER (1989) mentioned theLittle Egret as a scarce and local breeding resi-dent in Egypt, MEININGER et al. (1986) describedbreeding colonies in Wadi Rayan and nearAswan and MEININGER (1994) described hun-dreds of occupied nests near Aswan. MARTÍNEZ-VILALTA et al. (2020) noted “a few 100s of pairs” inEgypt. In 2008 a total of 520 pairs were recordedin the surrounding of Aswan. A presumed colonywith 75 Little Egrets on a rocky island in LakeNasser south of Abu Simbel was found in April1983 (MEININGER et al., 1986). In May 2007, 100breeding pairs were found on Lake Nasser in theKhor Essunta area (PHOTO 12), 100 pairs in KhorKoresko and 50 pairs north of Subua. Our ob-servations of more than 200 Little Egret pairs insome breeding colonies confirm the species as acommon breeding bird.

The up to now poor ornithological explo-ration of Lake Nasser may be the main reasonthat the large mixed breeding colonies of herons,egrets and Glossy Ibis remained undetected.Otherwise some species seem to have increasedand spread out within the last decades. Thisseems particularly true for Glossy Ibis, Black-backed Night-Heron, Grey Heron and PurpleHeron. It is unlikely that these species remainedundiscovered, while some colonies of otherspecies have been found.

It must be kept in mind that the numbers ofbreeding pairs assessed during our expeditions

Alauda 88 (4), 2020254

should be seen as minimal values, because only afraction of the whole Lake Nasser was covered byour route. Furthermore, our counting methods(dividing the number of birds by two) may causean obvious underestimation. Therefore, the realpopulation sizes of all species are likely to be muchhigher than the estimations made in this study.

Main reasons for the high numbers of breed-ing herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis at Lake Nassercould be the high number of fish (LATIF, 1976)and other potential food, as larger insects (dragonflies etc.; FISCHER et al., 2019), optimalbreeding places in dense Tamarix nilotica bushes,the lack of major human disturbances in thearea, especially within the breeding season,mainly predator free breeding sites on smaller is-lands and no hunting activities within the breed-ing season, different to the situation in winter.

The most heron and egret nests were found inTamarisk bushes or trees, some were built in reeds.In 2019 we also found some Grey Heron nests onrocky cliffs. In winter the colonies were not oc-cupied by the birds. Tamarisk bushes and reedswere mainly submerged during high water-levelin winter. In spring the water-level falls and thebreeding islands will appear before the breedingtime starts. As water level was much higher inbreeding season 2019, some of the colony sites usedin former years were submerged. Herons and egretswere found in nearly the same number as in theother years but more concentrated in a fewcolonies lying above the water level.

In Aswan two peaks in nesting could be ob-served. As expected, one peak is found in spring,whereas another peak was observed in August,when the Nile is running at its highest point.Although this seems surprising at first, it can bepresumed that in this time some potential nest-ing sites are less exposed to disturbance due to thehigher water-level. Moreover, food supply couldplay a role in the timing of the breeding season.

The importance of Lake Nasser for the highnumber of breeding egrets, herons and GlossyIbis reported here, as well as for other breedingbirds as terns, waders and the high breeding den-sities of some passerines require further protec-tion measures for the area.

It is unknown where the herons, egrets andGlossy Ibis of the Lake Nasser populations stay out-side of the breeding season. At least for somespecies (i.e. Purple Heron) it is expected that thebirds migrate to other area outside the Nile val-ley or even south of the Sahara. Until now no recoveries of the ringed birds are available. l

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe deeply acknowledge for supporting the field

work Ramadan Fox and his boat crews as well the“Lake Nasser Adventure“ company, especially StevenMAYOR, and Hartmut MEYER from Bartmeise travel.NABU (Lars LACHMANN) granted financial support. Weespecially thank all other participants of the field trips,Peter H. BARTHEL, Sapphire HAMPSHIRE and HaithamIBRAHIM for other help.

Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis 255

PhoTo 12.– Mixedcolony (Egretta gar-zetta, Bubulcus ibis,Ardeola ralloides,

probably Ardea pur-purea) on an island

with Tamarisks,Khor Essunta area,

22 May 2007 (D. HOEK).Colonie mixte

(Egretta garzetta,Bubulcus ibis,

Ardeola ralloides,probablement Ardea purpurea) sur uneîle avec Tamaris,Khor Essunta area,22 May 2007.

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n ISENMANN (P.), GAULTIER (T.), EL HILI (A.), AZAFZAF (H.),DLENSI (H.) & SMART (M.) 2005.– Oiseaux de Tuni-sie/Birds of Tunisia. Paris : Société d’Études Orni-thologiques de France.

n ISENMANN (P.), BENMERGUI (M.), BROWNE (P.), DIAM BA(A.), HAMALLAH DIAGANA (C.), DIAWARA (Y.) & EL ABI-DINE OULD SIDATY (Z.) 2010.– Oiseaux de Maurita-nie/Birds of Mauritania. Paris : Société d’ÉtudesOrnithologiques de France.

n ISENMANN (P.), HERING (J.), BREHME (S.), ESSGHAIER (M.),ETAYEB (K.), BOURASS (E.) & AZAFZAF (H.) 2016.– Oi-seaux de Libye/Birds of Libya. Paris : Sociétéd`Études Ornithologiques de France (SEOF).

n LATIF (A.F.A.) 1976.– Fishes and Fisheries of LakeNasser. In RZÓSKA (J.) (Ed.). The Nile, biology of anancient river. Junk, The Hague.

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n MEININGER (P.L.) 1994.– Systematic list of birds ob-served in Egypt, December 1989 - July 1990. InMEININGER (P.L.) & ATTA (G.A.M) (Eds.). Ornithologi-cal studies in Egyptian wetlands 1989/90. FORE-report 94-01, WIWO-report 40, Vlissingen/Zeist.

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Alauda

SOCIÉTÉ D’ÉTUDES ORNITHOLOGIQUES DE FRANCE - MNHN

Revue internationale d’OrnithologieVolume 88 (4) 2020

4 393. HERING (J.), FISCHER (S.), GEITER (O.), WOBKER (J.), SIEGEL (S.), EILTS (H.J.), FUCHS (E.), HOEK (D.) &HABIB (M.).– Découverte d’importantes colonies d’ardéidés et d’ibis sur le Lac Nasser (Égypte) . . . .

4 394. GRANGÉ (J.-L.).– Le Pic de Lilford Dendrocopos leucotos lilfordi dans les collections muséologiques :que peut-on en apprendre ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 395. RAJAONARIVELO (J.A.), ANDRIANARIMISA (A.), RAHERILALAO (M.-J.) & GOODMAN (S.M.).– Répartitionverticale des oiseaux dans les forêts sèches de l’Ouest de Madagascar (2e partie) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 396. DERRADJI (N.) & MOULAÏ (R.).– Ampleur de la nidification urbaine du Goéland leucophée Larus michahellis dans la capitale Alger (Algérie) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 397. LABOUYRIE (F.).– Déplacements internuptiaux et statut de la Pie-grièche méridionale Lanius meridionalis dans le Grand Sud-Ouest de la France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 398. THOMAS (A.) & GODET (L.).– Statut de la Fauvette pitchou Sylvia undata en Marais poitevin . . . . .

NOTES ET ARTICLES COURTS

4 399. HADDAD (K.) & AFOUTNI (L.).– *Oiseaux rares récemment observés en Algérie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 400. AGHABABYAN (K.).– *Tétraogalle de Perse Tetraogallus caspius en Arménie : résultats de 16 ans de

suivi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 401. BÉLIS (W.), BRÉMOND-HOSLET (E.) & MONTADERT (M.).– *Bibliographie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CONTENTS

4 393. HERING (J.), FISCHER (S.), GEITER (O.), WOBKER (J.), SIEGEL (S.), EILTS (H.J.), FUCHS (E.), HOEK (D.) &HABIB (M.).– Large breeding colonies of herons, egrets and Glossy Ibis at Lake Nasser (Egypt) . . . . .

4 394. GRANGÉ (J.-L.).– White-backed Woodpecker (Lilford’s) Dendro copos leucotis lilfordi: what can welearn from museum skin collections?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 395. RAJAONARIVELO (J.A.), ANDRIANARIMISA (A.), RAHERILALAO (M.-J.) & GOODMAN (S.M.).– Vertical dis-tribution of birds in different dry forest types of western Madagascar (2nd part) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 396. DERRADJI (N.) & MOULAÏ (R.).– Urban nesting of the Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis in Algiers(Algeria) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 397. LABOUYRIE (F.).– Internuptial movements and status of the Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridiona-lis in southwestern France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 398. THOMAS (A.) & GODET (L.).– Status of the Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata in the Marais Poitevinarea (western France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NOTES AND SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

4 399. HADDAD (K.) & AFOUTNI (L.).– *Rare birds recently recorded in Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 400. AGHABABYAN (K.).– *Caspian Snowcock Tetraogallus caspius in Armenia: results of 16 years of

monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 401. BÉLIS (W.), BRÉMOND-HOSLET (E.) & MONTADERT (M.).– *Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SOMMAIRE

241-256

257-270

271-280

281-288

289-300301-306

307-210

311-316317-318

241-256

257-270

271-280

281-288

289-300

301-306

307-210

311-316317-318

LXXXVIII. — 4. 2020

ALAUDA (nouvelle série) LXXXVIII.– 4 . 2020

n ARDÉIDÉS DU LAC NASSER:Découverte d’importantes colonies

n PIE-gRIèChE mÉRIDIoNALE:Aire de répartition et déplacements

n FAUvEttE PItChoU: Statut dans le marais poitevin

n PIC DE LILFoRD: Étude muséologique

n goÉLAND LEUCoPhÉE URbAIN: Ampleur de la nidification à Alger

J. HERING