This is the first of an article series featuring wild animals found in Morocco, North Africa. The photos in this particular article are taken by the Moroccan photographer Rabie Atlas.
1. Grey wagtail
The Grey wagtail is a member of the wagtail family that includes the Western yellow wagtail, the Cape wagtail, the White wagtail, the Japanese wagtail, the Eastern yellow wagtail and others. The scientific term of this bird is Motacillidae. The Grey Wagtail measures around 18–19 and it feeds on adult flies, mayflies, beetles, crustacea and molluscs.
2. The Kingfisher
The Kingfisher is a small bird that is found in different parts of the world. The scientific name of its family is Alcedinidae, which includes 114 species. This particular species feeds primarily on fish and avoids contact with humans. It is territorial and monogamous.
3. Spotted sandgrouse
This is a ground dwelling bird that is found in many parts of the world including North and East Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India. It lives in small flocks but breeds separately. It eats seeds and flies once a day to a water spot.
4. The Cream-colored courser
The scientific name for this type of bird is Cursorius cursor, which is derived from Latin cursor or runner. The Cream-colored courser feeds on insects that they hunt while running, thus the name. Apart from North Africa, this bird is found in Asia.
5. Red-knobbed coot
Also called, crested coot, the Red-knobbed coot is found in many areas in Africa and south of Spain. It is territorial bird that becomes quite aggressive especially during the breeding season. Generally speaking, it prefers swimming in lakes than flying and lays 8 eggs. What is strange about this bird is that it is often very aggressive with its own you chicks that a few of them make it to adulthood.
6. The Eurasian Sparrowhawk
This is a small bird that belongs to a family called Accipitridae. It feeds on sparrows, tits, finches, starlings and other birds. It can be found in different parts of the world and stay in nests of 60 cm that they build on trees using twigs. A feature that distinguishes this bird from any other bird is that the size of the male is 25% less than the female.
7. The Eurasian Stone-curlew
Also called Eurasian think-knee, this type of bird ranges between 38 and 46 cm. It is a nocturnal species that prefers open habitats and bare grounds and eats insects, frogs, rodents and small reptiles. It is found in Morocco and other countries in North Africa, Europe and some areas in Asia, but migrates in summer to Europe and stays in winter in Africa.
8.The Long-legged Buzzard
This is a prey animal that is found in Northern Africa, Europe, Asia and India. It has a length of up to 66 cm and weighs between 1.1 and 1.3 kg. It feeds on smaller birds of all types, reptiles, rodents, reptiles, and big insects.
9. The Tawny owl
Like other species of the owl, the Tawny owl is a nocturnal bird. It is a medium-size bird that preys on rodents, birds, and even smaller owls. Unlike what commonly believed, the tawny owl does not rely on its vision as much as its hearing to hunt at night. It leaves its nest after one year and stays in one relationship for life.
