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An Abundance of Birds in Morocco

Most people don’t envision Morocco as being a top birding spot in the world, but this country actually has a great variety of birds. What’s more, many of these species are incredibly rare or even globally threatened. This makes Morocco quite a hot spot for spotting rare and endangered birds and should lure more and more bird enthusiasts to the country.

According to Bergier & Thévenot 2006, there are 454 species of birds in Morocco. Research indicates that only five have been introduced to the country by humans. This means that 449 of the bird species that occur in Morocco are indigenous to the country. Of these, 156 are considered to be rare or accidental and fifteen are globally threatened. So exactly what sort of birds can you expect to find in Morocco? Well, to start with you will find pheasants, partridges, guinea fowl, pigeons, doves, hoopoes and woodpeckers – these are some common birds that you may well expect to find in Morocco. If you head to the coast, you will find albatross, gannets, boobies, cormorants, pelicans, oystercatchers, terns and gulls – to mention a few. Inland water holes yield further swans, geese, ducks, herons, storks and flamingo. The biggest Moroccan bird is the ostrich and there are plenty of birds of prey to admire such as barn owls, kites, hawks and eagles. There are even parrots!

Of course, true bird lovers will have noticed that no passerine birds have been mentioned yet. There are certainly no shortage of these either. Morocco is filled with swallows, larks, wagtails, wrens, thrushes, kinglets, wallcreepers, nuthatches, shrikes, crows, magpies, starlings, waxbills, vireos and buntings. Of course there are many more birds in Morocco that have not been mentioned here, but listing all 454 of them would certainly prove to be a challenge! Besides, the best way to experience Morocco’s birds is to spend time amongst them yourself. Of course you’ll be able to see birds almost everywhere you go, but for a truly exceptional bird watching experience, it would be best to head to the national parks in the country. So book your flight and get packing for a great birding holiday.