The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – Regional Assessment
THE CONSERVATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE BREEDING BIRDS OF PREY OF NORTH AFRICA
J.R. Garrido, C. Numa, V. Barrios, A. Qninba, A. Riad, O. Haitham, H.B. Hasnaoui, S. Buirzayqah, A. Onrubia, A. Fellous-Djardini, M. Saheb, K. Rousselon, S.I. Cherkaoui, I. Essetti, M. Noaman, M. Radi, F. Cuzin, A. Irizi, G. Monchaux, N. Hamdi, F. Monti,
P. Bergier, R. Ouni, K. Etayeb, M.A. Chokri, H. Azafzaf, P. Gyenge, A. Si Bachir and B. Bakass
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™ – REGIONAL ASSESSMENT
THE CONSERVATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE BREEDING BIRDS OF PREY OF NORTH AFRICA
J.R. Garrido, C. Numa, V. Barrios, A. Qninba, A. Riad, O. Haitham, H.B. Hasnaoui, S. Buirzayqah, A. Onrubia, A. Fellous-Djardini, M. Saheb, K. Rousselon, S.I. Cherkaoui, I. Essetti, M. Noaman, M. Radi, F. Cuzin, A. Irizi, G. Monchaux, N. Hamdi, F. Monti,
P. Bergier, R. Ouni, K. Etayeb, M.A. Chokri, H. Azafzaf, P. Gyenge, A. Si Bachir and B. Bakass
IUCN is pleased to acknowledge the support of its Framework Partners who provide core funding; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland; Government of France and the French Development Agency (AFD); the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea; the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); and the United States Department of State.
Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
Produced by: IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Málaga, Spain
Copyright: © 2021 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged.
Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
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Recommended citation:
Report
Garrido, J.R., Numa, C., Barrios, V., Qninba, A., Riad, A., Haitham, O., Hasnaoui, H., Buirzayqah, S., Onrubia, A., Fellous-Djardini, A., Saheb, M., Rousselon, K., Cherkaoui, S.I., Essetti, I., Noaman, M., Radi, M., Cuzin, F., Irizi, A., Monchaux, G., Hamdi, N., Monti, F., Bergier, P., Ouni, R., Etayeb, K., Chokri, M.A., Azafzaf, H., Gyenge, P., Si Bachir A.
and Bakass, B. (2021). The conservation status and distribution of the breeding birds of prey of North Africa.
IUCN: Gland, Switzerland. xvi + 102pp.
Species assessment sheets, e.g.:
Bergier, P., Rousselon, K., Cherkaoui, I., Monti, F. & Garrido López, J.R. (2021). Dark chanting-goshawk, Melierax metabates, pp 35-36. In: Garrido, J.R., Numa, C., Barrios, V., et al. (2021). The conservation status and distribution of the breeding birds of prey of North Africa. IUCN: Gland, Switzerland. xvi + 102pp.
Cover photo: I n North Africa the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) breeds throughout North Africa from Morocco to Egypt and is considered Endangered because of the serious decline in its numbers due mainly to poisoning. ©Tarek Nagah
All photographs used in this publication remain the property of the original copyright holder (see individual captions for details).
Photographs should not be reproduced or used in other contexts without written permission from the copyright holder.
Layout by: miniestudio.es
Printed by: SOLPRINT S.L.
The text of this book is printed on 115 gsm environmentally friendly paper.
III
Contents
Acknowledgements _______________________________________________________________________________________________ VI Foreword __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ VII Executive summary _______________________________________________________________________________________________ VIII Résumé exécutif ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ X Executive sum ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ XII Contributors _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ XIV
1. Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 1.1 The assessment region _________________________________________________________________________________ 1 1.2 Raptors of North Africa _________________________________________________________________________________ 5 1.3 Objectives of the assessment _________________________________________________________________________ 7
2. Assessment methodology ___________________________________________________________________________________ 8 2.1 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ____________________________________________________________ 8 2.2 The IUCN Red List of North African Raptors _________________________________________________________ 9 2.3 Geographical scope ____________________________________________________________________________________ 9 2.4 Taxonomical scope _____________________________________________________________________________________ 9 2.5 Preliminary assessments and review process ______________________________________________________ 10 2.6 Assessment review process _________________________________________________________________________ 11
3. Assessment results _________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 3.1 Conservation status of North African raptors _______________________________________________________ 12 3.2 Regionally Extinct species ___________________________________________________________________________ 16 3.3 Threatened species __________________________________________________________________________________ 17 3.4 Near Threatened species ____________________________________________________________________________ 19 3.5 Least Concern species ______________________________________________________________________________ 20 3.6 Patterns of species richness _________________________________________________________________________ 20 3.7 Major threats to raptors in North Africa _____________________________________________________________ 22
4. Conservation actions _______________________________________________________________________________________ 25 4.1 International instruments potentially relevant to the conservation and management
of North African birds of prey ________________________________________________________________________ 25
5. Conclusions and recommendations _____________________________________________________________________ 28
6. Regionally Extinct, Threatened and Near Threatened species assessment sheets ____________ 30 Cinereous vulture, Aegypius monachus _________________________________________________________________ 30 Spanish imperial eagle, Aquila adalberti ________________________________________________________________ 32 Dark chanting goshawk, Melierax metabates ___________________________________________________________ 35 Northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis ____________________________________________________________________ 37 Tawny eagle, Aquila rapax _______________________________________________________________________________ 40 Bearded vulture, Gypaetus barbatus ____________________________________________________________________ 43 Rüppell's vulture, Gyps rueppelli ________________________________________________________________________ 46 Red kite, Milvus milvus ___________________________________________________________________________________ 49 Lappet-faced vulture, Torgos tracheliotos _______________________________________________________________ 52 Marsh owl, Asio capensis ________________________________________________________________________________ 55 Montagu's harrier, Circus pygargus _____________________________________________________________________ 58 Egyptian vulture, Neophron percnopterus ______________________________________________________________ 61 Osprey, Pandion haliaetus _______________________________________________________________________________ 65 Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus ______________________________________________________________________________ 68 Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo _________________________________________________________________________ 71 Short-toed snake-eagle, Circaetus gallicus _____________________________________________________________ 74 Western marsh harrier, Circus aeruginosus _____________________________________________________________ 77 Sooty falcon, Falco concolor _____________________________________________________________________________ 79 Eleonora's falcon, Falco eleonorae ______________________________________________________________________ 80
7. Least Concern (LC) and marginal species Not Applicable (NA) ____________________________________ 85
References ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 90
In North Africa the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) only breeds V in Morocco and Egypt and is considered Critically Endangered because of its small and isolated population. © Justo Martín Martín
CR
Assessing species for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ relies on the willingness of dedicated experts to contribute and pool their collective knowledge to make the most reliable estimates of the conservation status of species. This work would not have been possible without their enthusiastic commitment to species conserva- tion. Additionally, we would like to thank the Tunisian Ministry of Local Affairs and the Environment for providing logistical and administrative support and making sure the evaluation workshop ran smoothly.
We would especially like to thank Hannah Wheatley (BirdLife International) for helping facilitate the workshop and all the North Africa raptors experts who have subsequently been involved in reviewing the assessments.
David Allen (IUCN), James Westrip (IUCN), Anna Staneva (BirdLife International) and Ian Burfield (Birdlife Interna- tional) provided guidance, support and good advice throughout the project. Special thanks to Maher Mahjoub (IUCN) and Hélene Willem (IUCN) for their valuable support for organising the validation workshop in Tunis.
We would like to thank the following people who gave their time and valuable expertise to evaluate the assess- ments, with apologies to anyone whose name has inadvertently been omitted or misspelled: Rachid El Khamli- chi (GREPOM-BirdLife Morocco/AMPOVIS), Mohamed Amezian (GREPOM-BirdLife Morocco/AMPOVIS), Nibani Houssine (AGIR), Andre Botha (SSC Vulture Specialist Group), Faouzi Maamouri (WWF North Africa), Mohamed Ibraheem Habib (Egyptian expert), Íñigo Fajardo (Government of Andalucia, Spain) and Jesús Bautista (Govern- ment of Andalucía, Spain).
We are grateful to Daniel Burón, Iñigo Fajardo, Brahim Bakass, Rafael Benjumea, Alex Colorado, Jose Rafael Garrido, Tarek Nagah, Jaume Caselles, Andres de la Cruz, Rachid El Khamlichi, Leovigildo Flox, Justo Martin, Karim Rousselon and Manuel Talavera for providing photographs.
The work presented in this report was coordinated by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and the IUCN Species Programme (Red List Unit). This project was funded by the MAVA Foundation and Red Eléctrica España, with contributions from the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challen- ge and the Junta de Andalucía.
Acknowledgements
VII
North Africa is a region rich in natural and cultural heritage, characterised by high levels of species diversity and endemism. The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) works to leverage its knowledge, stan- dards and tools to influence policy and to support action in the Mediterranean region, particularly where these measures are undertaken by IUCN Members. Better knowledge about biodiversity, including threats and conser- vation measures, will help drive action. In that context, Regional Red Lists are an important tool for scientifically assessing and communicating the status of species. They provide comprehensive information about the situation of biodiversity in the region and are an important practical mechanism for implementing national and regional strategies for biodiversity conservation under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Red List in North Africa will help to contribute to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, in particular to those targets which call for the prevention of extinction of known threatened species and improvement of their conservation status. Mediter- ranean Red List assessments are carried out in partnership with organisations and individuals around the region and will help to deliver these various targets.
Birds of prey are key organisms for ecosystem functioning, providing several environmental services vital to hu- man well-being, such as rodent pest control, removal of dead animal remains through scavenging, and wealth generation through ecotourism. Furthermore, they are fundamental elements in the food web as apex predators and scavengers, which make them good indicators of ecosystem’s health. They are thus species that can be used as flagships to encourage the protection and proper management of the territory in which they live. How- ever, they are also a group highly impacted by human activities due to competition for game prey and livestock, especially in the case of larger species such as the great eagles. For this reason they are often persecuted and their populations in many cases have come close to extinction. This report presents a review of the conservation status of 36 species of birds of prey that breed in North Africa by experts from across the region. Since its cre- ation in 2001, IUCN-Med’s main role has been to assess the regional conservation status of selected taxonomic groups. The Red List of North African Birds of Prey is the 14th publication in the series. The assessment shows that almost half of the species that currently breed are threatened with extinction in the region, with three species even recently becoming extinct. Unfortunately, the factors driving these declines are still in place. Direct and in- direct persecution, poisoning by pesticides and rodenticides, and collision with and electrocution on power lines are direct mortality factors. But without doubt, the main threat to North African raptors is the increase and spread of the human population, which has resulted in habitat destruction and disturbance, especially of forests. This Red List is further evidence that efforts to halt biodiversity loss in the region need a major boost in the coming years to safeguard our natural capital for future generations.
Antonio Troya Director
IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation
Foreword
Aim
This report summarises the results of a review of the conservation status of the 36 species of birds of prey that are con- sidered to breed in North Africa according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level to guide appropriate conservation actions for improving their status.
Scope
All birds of prey having current or historic breeding populations in North African countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt)
Conservation status assessment
The conservation status of species was assessed using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria 3.1 (IUCN Species Survival Commission, 2001). The assessments followed the guidelines for application of the Categories and Criteria at regional levels 4.0 (IUCN Species Survival Commission, 2003). They were compiled by a network of 34 regional experts, reviewed during a workshop held in Tunis (Tunisia) in February 2020 and followed up through correspondence until completion.
North African birds of prey
There are 46 species of birds of prey within the assessment region. Of these, 10 species were excluded from this study as their distribution in the region is marginal, wintering or passage. The conservation status of the remaining 36 species was assessed and analysed. There are no species endemic to North Africa, though there are two (5.5%) possibly near-endemic species (defined as having ≥70% of their global range in the region): the Pharaoh eagle-owl Bubo ascalaphus and the sooty falcon Falco concolor. All species are typically from the Palearctic, but there are five breeding species (13.9%) with an Afrotropical origin, all of which very rare.
Results
Overall, 12 of the 36 breeding raptors evaluated are threatened in North Africa. Four species are classified as Near Threatened (NT), three species are assessed as Regionally Extinct (dark chanting-goshawk Melierax me- tabates, cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus and Spanish imperial eagle Aquila adalberti) and 17 species as Least Concern.
The current main threats to North African birds of prey are illegal killing, illegal trade, poisoning, and death be- cause of human infrastructure such as power lines, which are reducing breeding populations. Another important threat is the use of pesticides and rodenticides in agriculture, which can have a negative impact on breeding success, reduce prey density and lead to secondary poisoning by consumption of contaminated corpses. In addition, loss of forest habitats, agroecosystems and wetlands due to the growth and spread of the human pop- ulation is another major threat to raptors in the North African region, in one way or another potentially affecting most or possibly almost all of the species present there.
There is a significant lack of information on distribution, population size and trends, as well as threats, with 42 % of species with unknown population trends. There is an urgent need for collaborative research and monitoring, especially on the size and distribution of breeding populations and the specific impact of threats on them.
Executive summary
IX
This assessment can be considered a baseline for developing conservation actions and monitoring breeding and dispersing populations in order to understand their conservation status and to determine, protect and manage potential breeding sites and key dispersal areas.
Conclusions and recommendations
Despite their importance as predators and scavengers and their key role in food web dynamics, the breeding populations of birds of prey in North Africa are poorly known. Current information gaps regarding population status, trends and geographical distribution reflect how little we know about them. However, this regional assess- ment has revealed that 48.5% of breeding raptors in North Africa are threatened, due to illegal killing, accidents involving power lines and wind farms, and habitat loss. It means that failure to act soon could result in the collapse of the regional populations of birds of prey, particularly vultures, all species of which are threatened. Threatened species are concentrated in the northernmost part of Maghreb, from Morocco to Algeria, but also in Gebel Elba, the southern Nile valley and southern Sinai in Egypt. Despite the current lack of data, the results of this assess- ment show that without urgent conservation actions the region could face a mass extinction of birds of prey, which could destabilise ecosystems, as key scavenging and predatory species disappear.
Recommended conservation actions to improve species status include:
➜ Initiating monitoring of breeding populations in the various countries, because only regular counts provide reliable data for monitoring bird of prey populations;
➜ Revising national and international legislation to protect the threatened species identified in this assessment;
➜ Drawing up species action plans for threatened species;
➜ Developing legislation and mitigation actions to avoid mortality due to collision with and electrocution on power lines;
➜ Developing strategies against illegal killing and trade, ensuring the continuation of regional cooperation among experts and starting new cooperation initiatives with experts from countries where information is scarce, so that this assessment can be updated as new information becomes available;
➜ Raising awareness about the importance of birds of prey in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Key messages
■ Birds of prey are key organisms for the functioning of North African ecosystems, as they provide important ecosystem services such as rodent pest control and removal of dead animal remains, and play a wealth-gen- eration role through ecotourism.
■ Information about the conservation status of these populations in North African countries is very limited, and 42 % of species have unknown population trends. There is an urgent need for collaborative research and monitoring, especially on the size and distribution of breeding populations and the specific impact of threats on them.
■ Birds of prey are impacted by illegal killing and trade, habitat loss and degradation, and energy infrastructures such as power lines and wind farms. Coordinated strategies need to be developed and implemented to re- duce these impacts on raptor populations.
Objectif
Ce rapport résume les résultats d’une évaluation de l’état de conservation de 36 espèces d’oiseaux de proie nicheurs en Afrique du Nord, selon les catégories et critères de la Liste rouge de l’UICN. Il identifie les espèces menacées d’extinction au niveau régional afin de guider les mesures de conservation appropriées pour améliorer leur statut.
Cadre d’étude
Tous les oiseaux de proie ayant des populations nicheuses actuellement ou historiquement dans les pays d’Af- rique du Nord (Maroc, Algérie, Tunisie, Libye et Egypte).
Évaluation de l’état de conservation
L’état de conservation des espèces a été évalué à l’aide des catégories et critères de la Liste rouge de l’UICN (Com- mission de survie des espèces de l’UICN, 2001). Les évaluations ont suivi les lignes directrices pour l’application des catégories et critères à l´échelle régionale (Commission de survie des espèces de l’UICN, 2003). Les résultats ont été compilés par un réseau de 34 experts régionaux, qui ont procédé aux évaluations lors d’un atelier tenu à Tunis (Tunisie) en février 2020 et ont par la suite assuré son suivi par correspondance jusqu’à sa finalisation.
Oiseaux de proie d’Afrique du Nord
Il y a 46 espèces d’oiseaux de proie dans la région évaluée. Parmi celles-ci, 10 espèces ont été exclues de cette étude car leur répartition dans la région sont migratrices de passage ou hivernantes. L’état de conservation des 36 autres espèces a été évalué et analysé. Cet échantillon ne présente pas d’espèce endémique à l’Afrique du Nord, bien que deux parmi les 36 (5,5 %) soient potentiellement des espèces quasi endémiques (c.a.d. définies comme ayant >70% de leur aire de répartition mondiale dans la région concernée); le Grand-duc ascalaphe Bubo ascalaphus et le Faucon concolore Falco concolor. La plupart des espèces proviennent du Paléarctique, mais cinq des 36 étudiées (13,9%) sont des espèces nidificatrices rares d’origine afrotropicale.
Résultats
Au total, 12 des 36 rapaces nicheurs évalués sont menacés en Afrique du Nord. Quatre espèces sont classées comme quasi menacées (NT), trois espèces ont été évaluées comme étant éteintes au niveau régional (Autour sombre Melierax metabates, Vautour moine Aegypius monachus et Aigle ibérique Aquila adalberti) et 17 espèces ont un statut de préoccupation mineure.
Les principales menaces actuelles pour les oiseaux de proie d’Afrique du Nord sont l´abattage et le commerce illégaux, l’empoisonnement et les infrastructures humaines telles que les lignes électriques qui sont sources de collision et d’électrocution, et réduisent les populations reproductrices. Une autre menace importante est l’utilisation de pesticides et de rodenticides dans l’agriculture, qui peut avoir un impact négatif sur le succès de reproduction, réduire la densité des proies et conduire à un empoisonnement secondaire par la consommation de cadavres contaminés. En outre, les pertes d’habitats forestiers, d’agroécosystèmes et de zones humides associées à la croissance et propagation de la population humaine peuvent également être considérées comme une autre grande menace pour les rapaces de la région de l’Afrique du Nord. D’une manière ou d’une autre, ces facteurs peuvent potentiellement affecter la plupart, voire la quasi-totalité, des espèces présentes dans la région.
Résumé exécutif
XI
Il y a un manque important d’information sur l´aire de répartition, la taille et la tendance des populations ainsi que sur les menaces ; les tendances en matière de population étant inconnues pour 42 % des espèces. Il existe un besoin urgent de collaborer dans le domaine de la recherche et du suivi, en particulier sur la taille et la répartition des populations reproductrices et sur l’impact spécifique que peuvent avoir les menaces.
Cette évaluation peut être utilisée comme référence à partir de laquelle développer des actions de conservation et surveiller la reproduction et dispersion des populations, afin de comprendre l’état de conservation et de déter- miner, protéger et gérer les sites de reproduction potentiels et les principales zones de dispersion.
Conclusions et recommandations
Malgré leur importance en tant que prédateurs et charognards, et leur rôle clé dans la chaîne alimentaire, les populations nicheuses d’oiseaux de proie sont mal connues en Afrique du Nord. Les lacunes actuelles en matière d’information sur l’état de la population, les tendances et la répartition géographique, reflètent le peu de connais- sances à leur sujet. Et pourtant, l’évaluation régionale des rapaces nicheurs a révélé que 48,5 % des rapaces nicheurs en Afrique du Nord sont menacés en raison d’abattages illégaux, de collision avec des lignes électriques et éoliennes, et de la perte d’habitat. Cela signifie que le fait de ne pas agir rapidement pourrait entraîner l’ef- fondrement des populations régionales d’oiseaux de proie, en particulier dans le cas des vautours (dont toutes les espèces sont menacées). Les espèces menacées sont concentrées dans la partie la plus septentrionale du Maghreb, du Maroc à l’Algérie, mais aussi à Gebel Elba, dans le sud de la vallée du Nil et au sud du Sinaï en Egypte. Malgré le manque actuel de données, les résultats de cette évaluation montrent que sans des mesures de conservation urgentes, la région pourrait faire face à l’extinction massive d’oiseaux de proie, ce qui pourrait déstabiliser les écosystèmes à mesure que les principales espèces prédatrices disparaissent.
Les mesures de conservation recommandées pour améliorer l’état des espèces comprennent :
➜ La mise en place d’un suivi des populations nicheuses dans les différents pays. Seuls les comptages réguliers fournissent des données fiables pour surveiller les populations d’oiseaux de proie.
➜ Réviser la législation nationale et internationale pour protéger les espèces menacées identifiées dans cette évaluation.
➜ L’élaboration de plans d’action pour les espèces menacées.
➜ L’élaboration d’une législation et de mesures d’atténuation pour éviter la mortalité due aux collisions et à l’électrocution par les lignes électriques.
➜ Développer des stratégies contre l´ abattage et le commerce illégaux, assurer la continuité de la coopération régionale entre les experts et commencer une nouvelle coopération avec des experts de pays où il reste un manque l’information afin que cette évaluation puisse être mise à jour au fur et à mesure que de nouvelles informations seront disponibles.
➜ Sensibiliser le public à l’importance des oiseaux de proie dans le maintien d’écosystèmes sains.
Messages clés
■ Les oiseaux de proie sont des organismes clés pour le fonctionnement des écosystèmes nord-africains, car ils fournissent d'importants services écosystémiques tels que la lutte contre les rongeurs nuisibles, l'élimina- tion des cadavres d'animaux et le rôle de génération de richesse grâce à l'écotourisme.
■ L´information sur l'état de conservation dans les pays d'Afrique du Nord est très limitée, avec 42 % des es- pèces dont les tendances des populations sont inconnues. Il existe un besoin urgent de recherche collabo- rative et de surveillance, en particulier sur la taille et la répartition des populations reproductrices et l'impact spécifique des menaces sur elles.
■ Les oiseaux de proie sont touchés par l'abattage et le commerce illégaux, la perte et la dégradation de leur habitat et les infrastructures énergétiques telles que les lignes électriques et les parcs éoliens. Il est néces- saire de développer et de mettre en œuvre des stratégies coordonnées pour réduire ces impacts sur les populations de rapaces.
Executive summary يذيفنت زجوم (arabic)
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جبذم/يي يبي يي )ستوتم 2020
. لاجهقتلا ىقح اس يفت يبع جهقعاجقم متو
ايقيرفأ لامش رويط ةحراجلا
كجنه 46 رويطت نم عوت حرججت
خ د ميلقإ .مييرقت دجعبقس مت ،ع وتلأ هذه نيا نمو 10
ثيح س ر ت هذه نم ع وتا
يي جهعيزوت نا ميلقإ
يذشمجه ، جقذم وا
،ي رويم وا ي . تجح يلاتو مييرت يجو نوذص
ذذذذذذت ع وتلأ 36
. يربقفت و
لا ن وقم هبم نوكت نا لفقافت ع وتلأ نم )% 5.5 م نيعوت دوجو نم مغيت ىلع ،جيريييا قجفم يي ن وقم ع وتا جوت يعت يقت م مذذذذ ت جذذهتا ىلع ف 70
يي يفتجذذعت جذذهقجذذطت نم % ميلقإ
:) وبت توعيفت ي :يفلعت مذذذذسلا م Bubo
ascalaphus )
و وي ت يرذذذذص :يفلعت مذذذذسلا م
Falco concolor )
. ذكو ع وتلأ يه دجذع نم ت ذيبطرت ذرطنف
في رت يتجفشت
، م يرجكقت ع وتا سفخ كجنه نكتو 13.9
)%
نم جهلصا يريييإ ير فت ميلقإ
يج لت ردجت جهعيفجو ، .
جئاتنلا
كجذنه لاجذفجإ 12 نيا نم 36 جذحرجذج يي يرجذكقم
هذفييرت مت ، د ذهم ض يرتإجذا .جذيريييا قجذفذذذذم يي
ع وتا ذعارا كجذنهو
فنذصم د هم هبذم جهتا ىلع
ض يرتإجا NT م
)،
جيفيلقإ ذضيرنم جهتا ىلع جهفييرت مت ع وتا رارو م
يتيقت نيزح فذمجا
كلم و ، ) Aegypius monachus :يفلعت مذذذذسلا م يدجميت يذذذذسنت و ،) Melierax metabates :يفلعت مذذذذسلا م يتجبسإ نجبرعت :يفلعت مسلا م
Aquila adalberti ،)
و 17 هتا ىلع جعوت ج
د هم ييغ .
جيريييا قجفذم رويطت يتجات يذسي يت ي هقت و حرججت
،عويذشفت ييغ قرت يه رججتإ و
ييغ عويذشفت فذسقت و ، ي ،م
يقت ،لاجايهكت وطخ م ييذشبت يقاقت ينبت بذسا وفت و ضفخت
نم عيمججم يرجكقت . فقي يخآ جه يطخ فرو
ضر ورت يبمو جيا يبم خقذذس يي
ات و ،يرجكقت اججت ىلع يبلذذس يرا هت نوكي نا نكفي جفم ، ع رزت يي
يج ك نم ار وجت فذذست ىتإ يدؤيو ، ي
يوتجر م قاخ نم . رولفت ث جت كاهقذذس
وم ن ري ن ي ، تك ىتإ يجذذضإجاو
جاج ت
، مظنت و يع رزت يجوتوكيإ ،
كذذشي مهرجذذشقت و نجكذذست وفت بذذسا ب يت يذذض رلأ و
يخآ جيذذسي ر ي هت
XIII
xi
حرججت رويطلت يي
ميلقإ ،جيريييا قجفذذذذم و
جفار وا كجنه دوجوفت ع وتلأ مظعم ىلع يخأا وا رييطا يرؤي نا نكفي
جبييرت جهلك .
مجحو ،عيزوقت نع جذمولعفت يي ييبك رت كجذنهو عوفجفت
، ذي ذهقت نع اذذذذ ي ، جذهجذجتلا و
عم 42 نم %
ع وتلأ عوفجم ك فويعم ييغ
جهججتلا .
يتوجعت ذذذصرو ثواا لا يجإ ىتإ الم ججح كجنهو نأذذذشا جفيذذذس لا ،
عيزوتو مجح يرجكقت عيمججم
يراو ي هقت د افت يلع جه .
جذذسا طخ اج فا مييرقت ذه رجبقع نكفيو قجفعا عذذضوت
نوذذصت ذذصرو يرجكقت يقذذشتو عيمججفت جا نم مهي
تجح . جهتر دإو جهقيجفحو يسي يت رجشقتلا ف جنمو لفقافت يرجكقت عق وم ي اتو مها صجخت نوصت
تايصوتلاو تاجاتنتسلاا
ذسيقففك جهقيفها نم مغيت ىلع
فيج لكآو ن ي ، ي ذ ت كبذشت جيمجنيد يي يذسي يت جهرودو
ت يرجكقت عيمججم رويطل
حرججت جيريييا قجفذذذم يي فجك كذذذشا يويعم ييغ
. رلعقفت جمولعفت يي يتجات وجفت سكعتو تجاا
،عيمججفت
نم % 48.5 نا فذذذذشك يفيلقإ مييرقت ذذه نا ذيا .جذها جذنقييعم ذلق ذم ، يي ي جت عيزوقت و ، جذهجذجتلا و رويطت
يرجكقفت حرججت د هم جيريييا قجفذم يي
ض يرتإجا ثد وات و ،عويذشفت ييغ قرت بذسا ،
ا رلعقفت وطخ ت لاجايهك
عر زمو ت وم ن ريو ،اجيي جاج ت
. نا ينعي ذهو عيذذذسا فيذذذصقت ع
ق رجيهت ىتإ يدؤي عيمججفت
يفيلقإ
تل رويط حرجذجت و ،روذذذذسنت ذذذذصجخو ، جذهعيفج يقت
د ذهم ع وتا
ض يرتإجا .
ع وتلأ زكيقتو د ذهفت
ض يرتإجا
يي بلع بج يي جذ يا نكتو ،ي زجت ىتإ ي فت نم ،يايعت ي فت نم يتجفذشت لازجت ونجو ياونجت ينت يد وو ،
.يذصم يي لاجنيذس نم مغيتجاو
رت جتجيبت جيتجح نا لاإ ، مييرقت ذه جقت يهظت
نو ا هتا قجفعا نوذصت لججعت نكفي
ميلقلإت نا ي هج و ذذذذض يرت ج يعجفج ج تل رويط حرججت ، و يقت ق ذذذذسيقففت ع وتلأ لاجفقخ عم يجوتوكيإ مظنت عزعزت
. فيجت لكآو
فشتو قجفعا نوصت يلي جم ع وتلأ تجح نيساقت جها ىصوفت :
يي عويذذذشت ذذذصر
يرجكقت عيمججم
مظقنفت عت نلأ تكو ،ن لبت فلقخم يي وه
طري يذت قوروم جتجيا ييوي
صيت عيمججم رويطت حرججت
؛
د هفت ع وتلأ يجفات يتو ت و ين وت جعييشقت حيرنت و ض يرتإجا
؛مييرقت ذه يي د افت
د هفت ع وتلأت فع ططخ عضو ض يرتإجا
؛
ت و لاجايهكت وطخا طصلا نع فججنت جييوت نجقت فيفخت لا يجإو جعييشت عضو ي جايهكت جم ص
جهنم
؛
قرت ايجكفت جيجيت يقذذس عذذضو رججتإ و
عويذذشفت ييغ ني
،لا يبخت نيا يفيلقإ نوجعقت ر يفقذذس نجفذذضو ،
، جمولعفت اياذذم ن لا نم لا يبخ عم ي ج نوجعت ردجبم يي عويذذشت و يك
مييرقت ذه ثي ات نكفي ا
يي وق
ي ج جمولعم .
عير يفهأا يعوت ت
يط رو حرججت ياصت يجوتوكيإ مظنت ىلع ظجفات يي .
لئاسرلا ةيسيئرلا
نإ ▪ ت حرججت رويط يه
جن جك يذذذسجذذذسا مظنت فعت
يجوتوكيإ ،جيريييإ قجفذذذم يي
ثيح جظنت جم خ ييوت
يجوتوكيإ ذفهفت
و ، ذريجذنت جذت ويات جذيجذرا ذت زإو ضر ورت جذيآ ذايجذكم ذ م ت
رود ذعل وي ت ذيتوت يي
يبع . يجوتوكيإ حجيست
نإ ▪ جمولعفت قوح
تجح نوذذذص هذه عيمججفت نا جفك ، يج لت دو ام جيريييا قجفذذذم ن لا يي 42
ع وتلأ نم %
عيمججم ك . جهججتلا يويعم ييغ
يتوجعت ذصرو ثواا لا يجإ ىتإ الم ججح كجنهو مجح نأذشا جفيذس لا ،
عيزوتو يرجكقت عيمججم هيلع ي هقلت د افت يرلأ و
ج.
يرأقت ▪ قرتجا حرججت رويطت رججتإ و
عويذشفت ييغ ني
وم ن ريو ، جاج ت
قجطلت يقاقت ىنبت و ،جهروه تو
.اجييت عر زمو لاجايهكت وطخ م و
جهذيفنتو رذسنفت جيجيت يقذسلا ييوطت جي قلت
نم فيفخ ييرأقت هذه
ىلع
عيمججم
. حرججت رويطت
Jose Rafael Garrido, Environment and Water Agency, Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, Government of Andalucía, Spain
Catherine Numa, Mediterranean Species Programme, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Spain Violeta Barrios, Sahara Conservation Fund, France
Abdeljebbar Qninba, Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University, Morocco Ahmed Riad, Nature Conservation Egypt, Egypt
Omar Haitham, Raptor Club Egypt, Egypt
Haféda Benmammar Hasnaoui, Tlemcen National Park, Algeria
Salih Buirzayqah, Alhaya Organization for Protection of Wildlife and Marine Organisms in Libya, Libya Alejandro Onrubia, Migres Foundation, Spain
Amina Fellous-Djardini, Mouvement Écologique Algérien, Algeria Menouar Saheb, Oum El-Bouaghi University, Algeria
Karim Rousselon, Association Marocaine pour la Protection des Rapaces, Morocco Sidi Imad Cherkaoui, Soltane Moulay Slimane University, Morocco
Imed Essetti, Tunisia Wildlife Conservation Society, Tunisia Mohamed Noaman, Water and Forestry Department, Morocco
Mohamed Radi, Groupe de Recherche pour la Protection des Oiseaux au Maroc (BirdLife Morocco), Morocco Fabrice Cuzin, Consultant, Morocco
Ali Irizi, Association des Amis des Rapaces, Morocco
Geoffrey Monchaux, Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation, Morocco Nabil Hamdi, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia
Flavio Monti, MedWet, France Patrick Bergier, Go-South, France
Ridha Ouni, Tunisia Wildlife Conservation Society, Tunisia Khaled Etayeb, Libyan Society for Birds, Libya
Mohamed Ali Chokri, University of Gabès, Tunisia
Hichem Azafzaf, Association des Amis des Oiseaux, Tunisia
Peter Gyenge, Mediterranean Species Programme, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Spain Abdelkrim Si Bachir, University of Batna 2, Algeria
Brahim Bakass, Groupe d’ornithologie du Maroc, Morocco
Contributors
XV
LC
The Long-legged buzzard has a large range and an abundant breeding population throughout North Africa. The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing rapidly enough to approach
the thresholds for a threatened category.
It is evaluated as Least Concern. © Daniel Burón
Pharaoh eagle-owl is abundant and widespread in North Africa.
It is not thought to warrant listing as threatened under any criterion.
Therefore, it is evaluated as
Least Concern. © Íñigo Fajardo LC
1
1. Introduction
This report comprises a summary of the regional conservation status of breeding birds of prey in North Africa.
The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, in collaboration with the IUCN Species Programme and a key group of regional experts, presents the overall results and findings of the regional Red List assessment.
The objective of this report is to provide the baseline status of this group of birds in the region. It includes in- formation about their distribution and natural history, and highlights those species that have been found to be of greatest conservation concern. It also reveals that very little or no information is available for a large number of species, for which more research and awareness is urgently needed. It is envisaged that the information contained within this report will facilitate the development of priority research, conservation and management actions for the region.
1.1 The assessment region
The assessment region covers the whole of northern Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea (Figure 1). The five countries of North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia) cover a total area of 5,275 million km².
Their total human population was estimated at about 156 million in 2012 and is expected to reach 184 million by 2025 (IUCN-Med 2016).
While these countries show considerable diversity in their environments, they share many similarities and face similar problems and challenges in the use and conservation of their natural resources.
North Africa is home to great marine and terrestrial biological diversity associated with its geomorphological variability and the diversity of its flora and fauna. The region’s ecosystems and landscapes are also remarkably diverse. Much of this territory has for centuries been subject to increasing human use of resources, particularly in the coastal areas.
Figure 1. The North Africa region as defined in the current report.
Map based
on FAO GAUL. © IUCN
The North African Region lies in the Western Palaearctic biogeographic realm and borders the Afrotropical realm to the south, which is reflected in the existence of elements of the tropical flora and fauna along its borders. It is a hot spot of endemism for both fauna and flora. Moreover, many species considered threatened at international level or that have disappeared in other parts of the world are still present.
Although many types of ecosystems exist in the region, a large part of it is made up of arid or sub-arid zones with large areas of desert. The arid conditions to which much of North Africa is subjected accentuate the vul- nerability of the region’s species and ecosystems, despite the adaptations to aridity shown by many animal and plant species. The region’s ecosystems may be grouped into the following main categories:
● Arid and sub-arid ecosystems
● Steppe ecosystems
● Forest ecosystems
● Wetland ecosystems
● Marine ecosystems
Arid and sub-arid ecosystems exist in all five countries; they are located mainly in the southern part of the region, but they also exist in some of its Mediterranean coastal zones. Although their natural productivity is rel- atively low, the arid and sub-arid zones of the region are home to a wide diversity of fauna and flora with a high degree of vulnerability and they are particularly sensitive to human impacts. Steppe ecosystems, although widespread in the region, exist mainly in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, where they often form a transition be- tween hyper-arid or Saharan and humid and sub-humid environments. Forest ecosystems are present in all the North African countries apart from Egypt. In Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, mountain and/or forest areas cover appreciable areas of the territory and are the site of diversified human activities, with great dependence on natural resources and often relatively low standards of living and little basic infrastructure development. A large part of the wetlands of North Africa consists of artificial environments created by damming rivers during the last 50 years; however, there are also natural wetlands, many of which are of international importance and play a significant social and economic role at local and national level. As in many other regions, North Africa’s wetlands are subject to great pressures, most of which are caused by human activities either in the wetlands themselves or in their catchment basins. Marine ecosystems constitute a significant component of the biodiversity of North African countries. All these countries face onto the Mediterranean Sea; furthermore, Morocco and Egypt have long coastlines not only on the Mediterranean but also on the Atlantic in the case of Morocco (2,500 km) and on the Red Sea in the case of Egypt (1,500 km).
A great diversity of landscapes such as desert and forest ecosystems are present in North Africa. Northern Sahara desert (left, © Jose Rafael Garrido) and northern Moroccan forest (right, © Daniel Burón), Morocco.
3
Afrotropical elements can be found in the south of the assessment region, such as Acacia forests. ©Daniel Burón
5
In addition to these common, widespread ecosystems, other types such as oases, mangroves, caves, etc. also exist in North Africa; they are hot spots of biodiversity even though they are limited in terms of the areas they cover.
While providing services that greatly contribute to the economic and social well-being of the populations, eco- systems in North Africa have for decades been overexploited and subject to other unsustainable forms of natural resource use and management. As a result, the status of ecosystems in the region is often reported as critical by specialists and national organisations (IUCN-Med, 2016).
The economy of the North African countries is greatly dependent on natural resources, and most of the active population is employed in activities that are linked to the primary sector, such as agriculture and stock raising.
For a long time, the agriculture sector has been neglected in the development programmes of certain countries in the region, although this sector could drive growth and development. Agriculture is currently not very produc- tive and has weak competitiveness in world trade. Rural people do not have easy access to loans and cannot handle natural hazards, including those resulting from climate change. Certain forms of natural resource use have led to overexploitation, as in the case of water resources and some stocks of living marine resources. The sustainability of such use can only be guaranteed through approaches that enable the declines to be reversed.
1.2 Raptors of North Africa
There are 46 species of birds of prey within the assessment region. Ten of these species have marginal, wintering or passage distributions in the region. The remaining 36 species are breeding birds of prey belonging to three orders: Accipitriformes (22 species), Falconiformes (seven species) and Strigiformes (seven species) (Table 1).
Table 1. Total number of breeding raptor species occurring in the North African region
There are no species endemic to North Africa, although there are two possibly near-endemic species (defined as having ≥70% of their global range in the region): the Pharaoh eagle-owl Bubo ascalaphus and the sooty falcon Falco concolor.
Many of the breeding species (16, 44.4%) are typically from the Palaearctic: 10 Accipitriformes (Spanish impe- rial eagle Aquila adalberti, Bonelli’s eagle Aquila fasciata, short-toed snake-eagle Circaetus gallicus, western marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus, Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus, red kite Milvus milvus, griffon vulture Gyps fulvus, cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus, northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis, and Eurasian sparrow- hawk Accipiter nisus), three Falconiformes (lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, Eleonora's falcon Falco eleonorae, and Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo) and three Strigiformes (northern long-eared owl Asio otus, Eurasian scops- owl Otus scops, and tawny owl Strix aluco).
Order Family Number of species
Accipitriformes Accipitridae 21
Pandionidae 1
Falconiformes Falconidae 7
Strigiformes Strigidae 6
Tytonidae 1
Total 36
The tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) is one of the five Afrotropical breeding raptors in North Africa. It is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) because it only breeds in Algeria in very small numbers.
© Andres de la Cruz
The osprey breeds on the western coast of Algeria and the eastern Mediterranean coast of Morocco and along the Red Sea coast and South Sinai in Egypt. It is assessed as Endangered (EN). Together with Eleonora’s falcon (Falco eleonorae), it is one of the two raptors breeding on coastal cliffs in North Africa. © Rafa Benjumea
EN
7
There are also five breeding species (13.9%) of Afrotropical origin, which are very rare: the tawny eagle Aquila rapax, lappet-faced vulture Torgos tracheliotos, marsh owl Asio capensis, Rüppell's vulture Gyps rueppelli and dark chanting-goshawk Melierax metabates.
The remaining 15 species (41.7%) have a wider global distribution. The osprey and Eleonora’s falcon are the only two breeding species (5.5%) found exclusively on marine cliffs, while the rest (34 species, 94.5%) are distributed mainly inland.
The long-legged buzzard Buteo rufinus deserves a special mention, since its subspecies Buteo rufinus cistenis is a common, widespread resident in North Africa, but recent studies have found that its taxonomy is not clear and it is closer to Buteo buteo than to Buteo rufinus (Jowers et al., 2019). It has been suggested it should be called the North African buzzard instead of the long-legged buzzard because of the importance of North Africa in its geographical distribution (Jowers et al., 2019; MaghrebOrnitho, 2019a).
1.3 Objectives of the assessment
This assessment has two main objectives:
• To contribute to regional conservation planning by providing a baseline dataset describing the conservation status and distribution of North African birds of prey, and
• To develop a network of regional experts to support future assessments and update the information on these species.
The assessment provides two main direct outputs:
• A report on the status of the breeding raptors of the North African region, including a comprehensive species list of all North African birds of prey, a Red List assessment of all the species, an identification of the main threats to each species and recommendations for the future conservation of the species and their habitats.
• A database that provides a baseline for monitoring the status of the breeding birds of prey of North Africa.
The data presented in this report provides a snapshot based on the knowledge available at the time of the assessment.
The database will continue to be updated and made freely available. IUCN will ensure that these data are dis- seminated widely to relevant decision makers, NGOs and scientists to inform the implementation of conserva- tion actions on the ground.
2. Assessment methodology
2.1 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
TMThe IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM (IUCN Red List) is widely recognised as the most comprehensive, scientifically based source of information on the global conservation status of plant and animal species. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are applied to individual taxon assessments (which contain information on as- pects such as ecology and life history, distribution, habitat, threats, current population trends and conservation measures), to determine their relative threat of extinction. Threatened species are listed as Critically Endangered
CR, Endangered EN or Vulnerable VU. Taxa that are either close to meeting the threatened thresholds or would be threatened were it not for ongoing conservation programmes, are classified as Near Threatened NT. Taxa evaluated as having a relatively low risk of extinction are classified as Least Concern LC. Also highlight- ed within the IUCN Red List are taxa that cannot be evaluated due to insufficient knowledge, and which have therefore been assessed as Data Deficient DD. This category does not necessarily mean that the species is not threatened, only that its risk of extinction cannot be assessed from current data (IUCN 2012a).
Additionally, when regional or national assessments are conducted, the IUCN Red List Regional Guidelines (IUCN 2012b) are applied, and two additional categories are used: Regionally Extinct RE and Not Applicable
NA (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. IUCN Red List Categories at the regional level (IUCN 2012b). For a description of each of the global IUCN Red List Categories go to: http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria/2001-categories-criteria.
Extinct (EX)
Extinct inthe Wild (EW) Regionally Extinct (RE)
Critically Endangered (CR) Endangered (EN)
Vulnerable (VU)
Near Threatened (NT) Least Concern (LC)
Data Deficient (DD)
Not Applicable (NA)
Not Evaluated (NE)
Extinction Adequate data risk
Evaluated
All species
Elegible for Regional Assessment
Threatened categories
9
2.2. The IUCN Red List of North African Raptors
The extinction risk of a species can be assessed at a global, regional, or national level. A taxon can be in dif- ferent categories in the Global Red List and a Regional Red List. For instance, a species which is common worldwide and listed as Least Concern LC in the Global Red List could face a high level of threat and meet the criteria of a threatened category, for example Endangered EN, in a particular region. To avoid an over- or un- derestimation of the regional extinction risk of a species, the guidelines for application of IUCN Red List Criteria at regional level (IUCN 2012b) should be applied.
Therefore, the present regional assessment examines the regional conservation status of all raptors species breeding in the North African region. The status of each species has been assessed according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2012a) and the Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List criteria at Regional Levels (IUCN 2012b).
2.3. Geographical scope
The assessment covers the entire territory of the countries of the North Africa region that border the Mediterra- nean Sea: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (Figure 1).
2.4 Taxonomical scope
This regional assessment evaluates a total of 46 native North African species of raptors. The scope of the North Africa assessment covers only native breeding raptor species confirmed in the region, including those breeders that have become Regionally Extinct in the last 100 years: the dark chanting-goshawk, cinereous vulture and Spanish imperial eagle (Chapter 6). The last two of these species could re-colonise North Africa in the near future due to population growth in the northern Mediterranean. The list also includes 10 species that are con- sidered Not Applicable for regional assessment because their occurrence in the region is marginal or uncertain, there are no recent confirmed records or they are only wintering or migrant species (Chapter 7).
Non-native species that may have established breeding populations as a result of escapes, deliberate introduc- tions or arrival on ships were not individually assessed as part of this project, in accordance with the guidelines of the IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee (2019).
Rüppell's vulture deserves a special mention. The species was originally distributed in savanna in the Sahel, Ethiopia and Somalia, but it seems to have been extending its range into the North African region in the last 10 years because of global change and habitat degradation in its breeding areas in the southern Sahel (Chapter 6).
The black kite has been assessed as including the subspecies Milvus migrans aegyptius (yellow-billed kite), which has very recently been treated as a separate species on the global Red List (BirdLife International, 2020a);
therefore, in future assessments it will be assessed separately.
Extinction risk
2.5 Preliminary assessments and review process
A provisional species list of raptors breeding in the region was compiled in 2019 by the experts of BirdLife In- ternational and IUCN-Med. Information on habitats and ecology, distribution, threats, conservation measures, etc. was sourced and collated for all the native breeding raptors occurring in the North African region. All the available relevant information on each species was input into the IUCN species database (Species Information Service–SIS). Spatial data were sourced to produce species distribution maps.
Key distribution and status information and population estimates were obtained from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN, 2020) and more than 100 literature references, of which the following should be highlighted: The birds of Egypt (Goodman and Meininger, 1989), Oiseaux d'Algérie–Birds of Algeria (Isenmann and Moali, 2000), The birds of Morocco: an annotated checklist (Thévenot et al., 2003), Oiseaux de Tunisie–
Birds of Tunisia (Isenmann et al., 2005), Oiseaux de Libye–Birds of Libya (Isenmann et al., 2016), Oiseaux du Sahara Atlantique Marocain (Bergier et al., 2017), African Raptors (Clark and Davies, 2018), The OSME Region List of Bird Taxa, Part A: Non-passerines. Version 5.1: July 2019 (OSME, 2019) and eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application] (eBird, 2020).
The species information was then reviewed at a regional workshop held in Tunisia in February 2020, where each species’ assessment was evaluated by regional and international experts to ensure that the information present- ed was complete and correct, and that the Red List category had been applied correctly.
Rüppell's vulture (Gyps rueppelli) is one of the five Afrotropical raptors breeding in North Africa. It was originally distributed in the Sahel and eastern Africa, but it seems to be colonising North Africa. It is classified as Critically Endangered (CR).
© Sahara Conservation Fund
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IUCN Red List assessments for 46 native species of raptors present in North Africa were reviewed and validated during the Tunisia workshop by the best regional experts. The status of each species was assessed according to the IUCN basic Red Listing procedures and documents, including the IUCN Red List categories and criteria (IUCN, 2012a) and the Guidelines for application of IUCN Red List criteria at regional and national levels (IUCN, 2012b). Following the workshop, the assessments were reviewed and supplementary information added from re- cent publications where appropriate; any remaining issues were resolved through communication with workshop participants.
2.6. Assessment review process
Experts from North African countries as well as on some raptor species were then asked to review the species summary reports using a peer-review methodology. Their comments, together with any additional up-to-date information, were included in the assessments.
Supported by relevant data sources and the scientific literature, these final regional assessments are therefore the outcome of information exchange and agreement among the numerous North African raptor specialists involved and their networks of informed colleagues.
Expert participants at the North African breeding raptors Red List workshop, February 2020, Tunisia. © IUCN-Med
3. Assessment results
3.1. Conservation status of North African raptors
A full list of the breeding raptor species of North Africa, their regional IUCN Red List status and criteria, and a rationale is given in Table 2 and Chapters 6 and 7. The list also includes 10 species that were considered Not Applicable for regional assessment (see 2.4). The numbers and proportions of species in the various IUCN Red List Categories are presented in Table 3.
Altogether, 12 species (33.3%) fall into one of the three categories (Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulner- able) which are collectively regarded as ‘threatened’. Seven are Critically Endangered CR (one of them Possibly Regionally Extinct), four species are Endangered EN and one Vulnerable VU. A further four species are listed as Near Threatened NT and 17 as Least Concern LC. Three species (Dark Chanting-goshawk, Cinereous Vulture and Spanish Imperial Eagle) are Regionally Extinct. Each species classed as threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable), Near Threatened and Regionally Extinct has an explanatory sheet in Chapter 6.
Table 2. Breeding birds of prey of North Africa and their Red List Status. Species considered Not Applicable (NA) for regional assessment have also been included. (PRE = Possibly Regionally Extinct).
FAMILY Common name Binomial taxonomic_authority Category ACCIPITRIDAE Cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766) RE ACCIPITRIDAE Spanish imperial eagle Aquila adalberti Brehm, 1861 RE ACCIPITRIDAE Dark chanting goshawk Melierax metabates Heuglin, 1861 RE ACCIPITRIDAE Northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis (Linnaeus, 1758) CR
ACCIPITRIDAE Tawny eagle Aquila rapax (Temminck, 1828) CR
ACCIPITRIDAE Bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758) CR ACCIPITRIDAE Rüppell's vulture Gyps rueppelli (Brehm, 1852) CR
ACCIPITRIDAE Red kite Milvus milvus (Linnaeus, 1758) CR
ACCIPITRIDAE Lappet-faced vulture Torgos tracheliotos (Forster, 1791) CR
STRIGIDAE Marsh owl Asio capensis (Smith, 1834) CR
ACCIPITRIDAE Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758) EN ACCIPITRIDAE Egyptian vulture Neophron
percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758) EN
PANDIONIDAE Osprey Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus, 1758) EN
ACCIPITRIDAE Griffon vulture Gyps fulvus (Hablizl, 1783) VU
FALCONIDAE Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo Linnaeus, 1758 VU
ACCIPITRIDAE Short-toed snake-eagle Circaetus gallicus (Gmelin, 1788) NT ACCIPITRIDAE Western marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus (Linnaeus, 1758) NT
FALCONIDAE Sooty falcon Falco concolor Temminck, 1825 NT
FALCONIDAE Eleonora's falcon Falco eleonorae Géné, 1839 NT
ACCIPITRIDAE Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus (Linnaeus, 1758) LC
