Première nidification réussie du Flamant rose Phoenicopterus roseus dans la vallée de l’Oued Righ (Sahara algérien)

Après une première tentative échouée en 2009, le Flamant rose a réussi sa reproduction en 2010-2011 dans le Chott Merouane, situé dans le nord–est du Sahara algérien. Cette colonie est installée sur un vaste lac saumâtre situé à une altitude de 41m en dessous du niveau de la Méditerranée. Elle présente notamment la caractéristique d’être construite directement dans l’eau et non pas sur un îlot. Cette colonie est l’une des six découvertes en Algérie depuis 2003. Par son importance (2954 nids en 2011), elle est la deuxième d’Algérie et d’Afrique du nord. Les colonies algériennes accueillent actuellement 12.5% (le huitième) de l’effectif de la métapopulation méditerranéenne de l’espèce. Elles sont notamment menacées en premier lieu par des risques d’assèchement accrus en raison du changement climatique et du développement anarchique de l’agriculture (vergers de dattiers et d’oliviers en particulier).Mots clés: Flamant rose - Phoenicopterus roseus - Reproduction - Zone humide - Chott Merouane - Algérie The Greater Flamingo carried out a successful breeding in Chott Merouane in 2010-2011 after its first failure in 2009. Situated in Northeast Algerian Sahara at 41 m below sea level, this colony is set in a vast brackish Lake. It presents an important feature of being set directly on the water without an apparent islet. This colony is among the six Algerian ones that have yet been discovered since 2003. Considering its size (2.954 nests in 2011), it can be ranked as the second largest colony in Algeria as well as North Africa. Algerian colonies currently host approximately 12.5% (1/8) of the Mediterranean metapopulation size of the Greater Flamingo. These colonies are threatened not only by severe dryness risks due to global climate change but also by an uncontrolled agricultural development (date palm and olive orchards).Keyswords: Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus - Breeding, Wetland - Chott Merouane - Algeri

The Common Swift Louse Fly, Crataerina pallida: An Ideal Species for Studying Host-Parasite Interactions

Little is known of the life-history of many parasitic species. This hinders a full understanding of host-parasitic interactions. The common swift louse fly, Crataerina pallida Latreille (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), an obligate haematophagous parasite of the Common Swift, Apus apus Linnaeus 1758, is one such species. No detrimental effect of its parasitism upon the host has been found. This may be because too little is known about C. pallida ecology, and therefore detrimental effects are also unknown. This is a review of what is known about the life-history of this parasite, with the aim of promoting understanding of its ecology. New, previously unreported observations about C. pallida made from personal observations at a nesting swift colony are described. Unanswered questions are highlighted, which may aid understanding of this host-parasite system. C. pallida may prove a suitable model species for the study of other host-parasite relationships

Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole-nesting birds

The increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. Such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. For example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban compared to nearby natural areas. In some birds, breeding success is determined by synchrony between timing of breeding and peak food abundance. Pertinently, caterpillars are an important food source for the nestlings of many bird species, and their abundance is influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and date of bud burst. Higher temperatures and advanced date of bud burst in urban areas could advance peak caterpillar abundance and thus affect breeding phenology of birds. In order to test whether laying date advance and clutch sizes decrease with the intensity of urbanization, we analyzed the timing of breeding and clutch size in relation to intensity of urbanization as a measure of human impact in 199 nest box plots across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East (i.e., the Western Palearctic) for four species of hole-nesters: blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), great tits (Parus major), collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis), and pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Meanwhile, we estimated the intensity of urbanization as the density of buildings surrounding study plots measured on orthophotographs. For the four study species, the intensity of urbanization was not correlated with laying date. Clutch size in blue and great tits does not seem affected by the intensity of urbanization, while in collared and pied flycatchers it decreased with increasing intensity of urbanization. This is the first large-scale study showing a species-specific major correlation between intensity of urbanization and the ecology of breeding. The underlying mechanisms for the relationships between life history and urbanization remain to be determined. We propose that effects of food abundance or quality, temperature, noise, pollution, or disturbance by humans may on their own or in combination affect laying date and/or clutch size

Premières données sur la structure et l’écologie des populations de la Foulque macroule Fulica atra (Rallidés) dans les zones humides de la région d’El-Kala (Nord-Est de l’Algérie)

Au niveau des zones humides du Nord-Est de l’Algérie, la Foulque macroule Fulica atra (Rallidés) est une espèce composée de deux populations différentes, une sédentaire nicheuse et une hivernante. La population nicheuse est composée de 510 à 1000 couples et en période hivernale, avec l’arrivée des populations hivernantes, l’effectif total fluctue entre 20.000 et 50.000 individus dans l’ensemble des zones humides. Le bilan des rythmes d’activités diurnes de cette espèce est dominé par une alimentation accrue relatant le rôle de gagnage de ces hydrosystèmes. Cette alimentation peut être observée souvent avec des taux variant entre 65 et 68% en période hivernale et 80-86% pendant la période de reproduction. L’approvisionnement diurne peut être exercé sur les berges ou dans l’eau libre, soit par basculement du corps, ou par immersion du bec ou de la tête de l’oiseau.Mots clés: Fulica atra - El-Kala - Hivernage - Reproduction - Rythmes d’activités. In northeast Algerian wetlands, the Common coot Fulica atra is structured in two different populations, a breeding population and a wintering one. The breeding population counts for 510 to 1000 breeding pairs but it increases up to 20.000 and 50.000 individuals, considering all wetlands, during the winter after the arrival of the migrant wintering population. The diurnal activity rhythms is dominated by an important feeding rate describing the feeding role of these hydrosystems. In winter, feeding activity is often observed with rates varying between 65 and 68% relating to global activity rhythms and between 82 and 86% during the breeding season. This diurnal supply may be displayed on the banks or in the water, either by tilting the body, or by dipping the beak or the head of the bird.Keywords: Fulica atra - El-Kala – Wintering – Breeding – Activity rhythm