Breeding of the Gull-billed Tern in the Sahara and an update on its distribution in Algeria

Abstract

The breeding distribution of the Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica in Algeria is poorly known as the species is mainly associated with highly unstable habitats. We conducted a survey of the distribution of the species across all major Algerian wetlands and monitored a breeding colony at El Goléa during 2009. The species is usually described as a passage migrant in the Sahara, but its status may have to be reconsidered following our discovery of a small colony nesting on an islet in Sebkhet El Maleh, El Goléa. The colony consisted of 25 birds which built nine nests and foraged exclusively in and around the salt lake. Laying of eggs began in mid-April, in synchrony with high temperatures and strong evaporation. Clutches varied between 1 and 3 eggs but none was successful. The gradual drop in water level and subsequent drying of the Sebkha coincided with the first hatchings, exposing the first hatchlings to mammalian predation arising from the intrusion of jackals Canis aureus, which entirely destroyed the colony.

Avifauna diversity and phenology in a Ramsar site: Lake Tonga (Northeastern Algeria)

“…During this study, we recorded various phenological statuses of the listed species: wintering, sedentary (breeding or non-breeding), summering, migratory. Among these, 15 % of the species were considered to be passing visitors using Lake Tonga as a migratory stopover, such as the greater flamingo, the common shelduck, the garganey, species that winter or breed in the High Plains (Hauts plateaux) of eastern Algeria and the Sahara (Saheb et al, 2006;Boulekhssaim et al, 2006aBoulekhssaim et al, , 2006bSamraoui et al, 2006;Baaziz et al, 2011;Seddik et al, 2012;Bouzid et al, 2018Bouzid et al, , 2019; 8 % of the species were sedentary non-breeding. These results denote the importance of this wetland as a nesting site for a rich and diverse avifauna and as a wintering area for many migratory species, probably due to the diversity of habitats and the availability of trophic resources (Elafri et al, 2016;Menasria and Lazli, 2017).…”

Interspecific nest reuse between two species of waders in northern Sahara and an overview of records of mixed clutches in Algerian waterbirds

“…The Sebkhet (salt lake) El Maleh or Lac El Goléa, located near the town of El Ménéa, is divided into two compartments; an upper basin with brackish water supporting a high floristic and faunistic diversity and a hypersaline lower basin, almost devoid of vegetation. The latter is a breeding area for the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus and some waders, such as the black‐winged stilt Himantopus himantopus , the pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta , the gull‐billed tern Gelochelidon nilotica and the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus (Bouzid et al., 2019; Samraoui et al., 2010). El Ménéa wastewater treatment station was installed in 2014, with aerated lagoon, and is located in the Sebkhet El Maleh which collects the city's wastewater.…”