POPULATION SIZE AOO EOO TREND
130-146 mat. ind. - 6,895,719 km2 =
NORTH AFRICA REGIONAL ASSESSMENT: ENDANGERED (EN) D (IUCN version 3.1)
While in central and northern Europe the osprey breeds in large numbers, few relict breeding nuclei remain in the Mediterranean, particularly in North Africa. Although the population is suspected to be stable, the probability of immigration of individuals from nearby breeding sites in the Mediterranean region is low. Moreover, the main threats are ongoing and some may even be expected to increase in the future (e.g. human disturbance due to fishing and tourism, power lines and windfarm development). The population size of this species is very small (<150 mature individuals) and so it is assessed as Endangered under criterion D.
DISTRIBUTION
From west to east, the species is present in Morocco, Algeria and Egypt. In Morocco it breeds in the Al Hoceima National Park (Monti et al., 2013). Here, two unused nests were found near Jebha, 30 km from Cala Iris, outside the protected area. Also in Morocco, in the Chafarinas Islands, the last breeding pair was recorded in 2012 (Monti et al., 2013; Siverio et al., 2018). In Algeria, it is present on the Mediterranean coast at Oran (Monti, 2012) and possibly on the east coast of the country near El Kala. Many wintering birds are observed in Tunisia but the species has not nested there since 1953 (Isenmann et al., 2005; Monti, 2012). In Egypt, it breeds only on the Red Sea coast and South Sinai (Habib, 2019a). Although there are no detailed studies available, the ospreys breeding in North Africa seem to behave as year-round residents or doing short inter-breeding movements. The great ma-jority of Mediterranean ospreys winter within the Mediterranean basin including North African coastal wetlands, but there are records of trans-Saharan migration, indicating that at least a few individuals from the Mediterranean region winter in sub-Saharan Africa, as their conspecifics from northern Europe commonly do (Monti et al., 2018).
EN
© Rafa Benjumea
POPULATION
In Algeria the population size is estimated at 30–34 mature individuals, based on the number of breeding pairs counted in 1989–1993 (Boukhalfa, 1990; Thibault et al., 1996; Monti, 2012). In Morocco, there may be 10–15 breeding pairs or 20–30 mature individuals (producing 8–12 chicks per year) (Monti, 2012; Monti et al., 2013), but a census performed in 2019 indicated there were about 16 active nests (AGIR, 2018; H. Nibani, pers. obs.).
Reports indicate the Moroccan population decreased by 35.7% between 1990 and 2013 (Monti et al., 2013), but the population trend seems to have been stable since then. In Egypt, 80 mature individuals (40 active nests) were counted on islands in the Red Sea in 2013–15 (Habib, 2019a). Therefore, the total population size for North Africa is estimated to be between 130 and 146 mature individuals.
HABITATS AND ECOLOGY
Ospreys tend to be opportunistic, adapting their behaviour to the location and the water bodies available, with fish-ing opportunities probably befish-ing the most important requirement. In marine environments, its diet consists almost entirely of live epipelagic fishes (e.g. Liza spp., Diplodus spp.) (Poole, 2020). At times, individuals will frequent estu-aries, marshes and other coastal waters as well as lakes and pools inland. During migration, any kind of water body where fishing may be possible (with medium-sized fish no deeper than one metre below the surface) can be used.
The species is generally intolerant of disturbance, especially when the source of the disturbance is directed toward the nest (Monti et al., 2018), but in some cases it has locally adapted to intense human activity (Bai et al., 2009).
Nesting sites in the Mediterranean are rocky cliffs close to marine or brackish water fishing environments (Monti et al., 2013). The nest is a large collection of sticks and flotsam, lined with grasses and moss where available, usually wedged high (up to 30 m above the ground) in an exposed tree or sometimes on cliffs. The breeding season lasts from early March to July, with egg laying from early March to early April (Thévenot et al., 2003); clutches consist of from one to four eggs. In Egypt pairs start courtship and nest building from the first week of December in the south to the first week of January in the north. Fledglings appear from late March to late April (Habib, 2017).
In North Africa, the species is mostly resident with some individuals moving short distances outside the breeding season. Migratory movements to the Sahel may also occur (F. Monti, pers. obs.).
THREATS
In Morocco, detrimental fishing activities such as trawling and dynamite fishing are the main cause of both direct and indirect disturbance for the species in the Al Hoceima National Park (H. Nibani, pers. obs.; Moroccan Strategy for Conservation of Birds of Prey Workshop, 2020, Rabat). Given the species' piscivorous diet, these fishing activities can reduce the availability of food in the long term by disturbing fish breeding grounds and depleting fish stocks. However, dynamite fishing is currently decreasing (H. Nibani, pers. obs.), although copper sulphate fishing (targeting octopus) is potentially an additional indirect threat.
The presence of humans can unsettle os-preys, leading them to repeatedly switch between nest sites (AGIR, 2028; H. Nibani, pers. obs.; Moroccan Strategy for Conser-vation of Birds of Prey Workshop, 2020, Ra-bat) and potentially resulting in failed breed-ing attempts (Monti et al., 2013). Scuba spearfishing near breeding sites and tour-ism activities involving motor boats seem to be increasing in the Al Hoceima National Park (H. Nibani, pers. obs.). Deaths of os-preys by electrocution have been also re-corded in Morocco (R. El Khamlichi, pers.
comm.; UICN and DEF, 2020).
Pandion haliaetus Map created 17/2/2021
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply any official endorsement, acceptance or opinion by IUCN.
North Africa Raptor Red List
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply any official endorsement, acceptance or opinion by IUCN.
North Africa Raptor Red List
Distribution range of the Osprey, Pandion haliaetus - (Linnaeus, 1758) in North Africa. Source: The IUCN Red List of the breeding birds of prey of North Africa.
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CONSERVATION
Conservation actions in place: CMS Appendix II. Barcelona convention: Annex II. CITES Annex II. In Morocco, the species is included in the preparation of a raptor conservation strategy (https://www.inationalucn.org/news/
mediterranean/202001/first-steps-towards-a-moroccan-strategy-raptor-conservation-iucns-guidance) and a na-tional population monitoring programme (UICN and DEF, 2020). An initiative to identify and correct dangerous power lines has also started in Morocco with the collaboration of governmental
Conservation and research/monitoring actions needed: Awareness raising and education campaigns will be important for this species' conservation. Disturbance during the breeding season can be reduced by establishing protective zones 200–300 m wide around nests (Monti et al., 2018a). This, along with nest wardening, rebuilding of damaged nests and the provision of artificial nests in safe locations where necessary, should improve breeding success. The spread of pollutants should be reduced. Fish-farms visited by migrating birds should use equipment to scare birds away and prevent access to fish stocks in order to avoid accidental entanglement (for example, over-head lines instead of nets laid on the water surface could be an effective measure for reducing osprey mortality).
Actions are needed to reduce mortality, particularly from collisions and electrocution; they should include the modification of dangerous power lines. It would also be beneficial to maintain an adequate area of legally protect-ed habitat and improve the level of protection at sensitive sites in North Africa. In the short term, current legisla-tion to reduce illegal hunting, including in areas that do not have formal protected status, should be reinforced;
breeding sites should be protected and disturbance avoided or limited (Monti et al., 2018a); regional recovery plans should be developed and implemented; and reintroduction and population reinforcement programmes, only if necessary, should take into consideration the genetic structure and migratory strategies of potential source populations, selecting those that are most similar to the North African population (Monti et al., 2018b).
Research is recommended to fill gaps in our knowledge of the population status in some regions, trends and the threats facing the North African population of the species, in particular in Algeria. It is also recommended to monitor demographic parameters such as the number of birds, and annual estimates of breeding and their hatching and fledging success.
Assessor(s): Monti, F., Nibani, H. & Cherkaoui, I.
Reviewer(s): Garrido López, J.R. & Numa, C.
Contributor(s): Rousselon, K., Etayeb, K., Riad, S., Haitham, O., Chokri, M.A., Gyenge, P., Benmammar Hasnaoui, H., BirdLife International & El Khamlichi, R.
Date: 2020–09–08