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Overexploitation of resources represents a major factor in biodiversity loss. The illegal capture and trade of wildlife species pose a serious threat to them. Algeria is a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1982, thereby joining the dynamics of wild fauna and flora protection. The list of wildlife species was last updated by Executive Decree No. 12-235 of 24 May 2012. In Algeria, songbirds are greatly appreciated as pet animals by pet enthusiasts. Unfortunately, habitat loss as a result of repeated forest fires in the Mediterranean region and the illegal capture of these birds cause severe damage to wild populations. The European goldfinch is the preferred species of bird enthusiasts because of its beautiful colours and its very particular singing abilities. Other species like the European serin ( Serinus serinus) are, however, used for breeding with the European goldfinch and thus the creation of hybrids. For the purposes of assessing both the impact on populations and the economic impact of the illegal capture and trade of wild birds, a survey has been conducted on the bird market held, on a weekly basis, in the city of Guelma. According to the results, between 3000 and 12,000 European goldfinches are caught every year and around 1200 are sold solely on this market. As far as the European serin is concerned, the capture is estimated at over 1000 birds. The economic impact of this activity only for the sale of recently caught animals is estimated at more than USD80,000 per year.

Avian diversity is used to assess the functionality of diverse types of habitats around Salt Lake Djendli, Northeast Algeria. The landscape is stratified into five habitat types in a gradient from wetland to forested mountains. Bird species found in these habitats can be classified into four ecological groups with decreasing degrees of aquatic specialisation and increasing forest specialisation. For each surveyed species, five ecological status were assigned. Overall, there was lower species richness in urban areas compared to other "natural" habitats. Birds have a biogeographical affinity to the western Palaearctic according to the dominant faunal types. Interactions of ecological status with phenological traits reveal that water birds are different from non-aquatic species because most of them are migrants. Moreover, overall, there is no worrying conservation status for surveyed birds. Bird diet is dependent on the ecological status that differentiate bird groups from each other due to differences in the food resources of the habitats they frequent. Phenological categories tend to link together birds of urban and open-lands. These two groups are affected by seasonal human activities. Our findings emphasise the importance of using combinations within the birds' ecological status, which would give information on the actual state of avifauna. This approach is relevant for future programmes and conservation actions.

The Turtle Dove and Laughing Dove display distinct behavior and are morphologically and genetically different. However, microhabitat selection and reproductive success details of the two species are still poorly studied. The geographic distribution of the Laughing Dove in North Africa has clearly expanded nowadays. The breeding ecology and nest placement of this species have been studied previously, but little is currently known about its life history in Algeria. This study aimed to provide the basic information on the breeding biology of the Laughing Dove in Algeria. During two consecutive breeding seasons (2013-2014), the clutch size, brood size, chick survival, timing of breeding, densities of breeding pairs, nest placement, and the main causes of nest failure of the sympatric Laughing Dove and Turtle Dove were studied in an olive orchard in Guelma region, northeast Algeria. Clutch size, brood size, chick survival, the estimated productivity, and nest placement of the two species were similar but timing of breeding and population densities were significantly different. Finally, the largely coincident egg-laying period and the similar clutch size of the two species seem to be the main factors behind their similar survival rate and productivity in our study area.Paprastieji ir mažieji purpleliai skiriasi morfologiškai, genetiškai ir elgesiu. Šių rūšių veisimosi sėkmė ir mikrobuveinių pasirinkimas ištirti nepakankamai. Apie mažojo purplelio biologiją ir ekologiją Alžyre žinių trūksta, nors rūšies geografinis paplitimas Šiaurės Afrikoje plečiasi. Tyrimo tikslas -apibendrinti informaciją apie mažojo purplelio perėjimo biologiją Alžyre. Guelmo regione (Šiaurės Rytų Alžyras) 2013-2014 metų perėjimo sezonų metu alyvmedžių sode buvo tirti simpatriškai gyvenančių mažųjų ir paprastųjų purplelių dėties ir vados dydžiai, jauniklių išgyvenamumas, perėjimo laikas, perinčių porų tankumas, lizdų vietos pasirinkimas ir nesėkmingo perėjimo priežastys. Dėties ir vados dydžiai, jauniklių išgyvenamumas, vislumas ir lizdaviečių pasirinkimas buvo panašūs, tačiau perėjimo laikas ir populiacijos tankumas reikšmingai skyrėsi. Panašų šių paukščių rūšių išgyvenamumą ir vislumą tirtame regione veikiausiai nulemia sutampantis kiaušinių dėjimo laikas ir panašus dėties dydis.

Several North African wetlands are classified as wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites and Important Bird Area) because thousands of Shelducks ( Tadorna tadorna) winter in these habitats. However, Shelduck’s patterns of habitat use in these protected wetlands during the wintering season are still hindered by lack of information in arid and semi-arid regions regarding population dynamics and the effects of climate variables. This ornithological survey aims to study population dynamics and temporal patterns of diurnal activities of the Shelduck at two Ramsar and Important Bird Area sites (Chott Tinsilt and Sebkhet Ezzemoul) with respect to the effect of climatic parameters of the habitat in order to deepen our understanding of wintering strategies and habitat use. Populations were weekly censused from 06:00 to 19:00 during the entire wintering season (September 2015–May 2016). Diurnal behavioural activities were monitored at the same rate, and then the variation of time budget was tested using generalized linear model to determine the effects of climate variables and conspecific density dependence. The Shelduck was observed at both sites from the end of November and remained there until the total desiccation of both lakes in early May. Trends of Shelduck’s population dynamics differed between the two sites. Generalized linear models revealed the significant effects of temperature, wind speed and number of snowy days on population dynamics. Feeding was the main diurnal activity of the Shelduck at both sites with 80.2% of time budget at Chott Tinsilt (mainly feeding at lake shores) and 82% at Sebkhet Ezzemoul (mainly feeding in water). The generalized linear models showed that the variation of time budget allocated to different diurnal activities was not density-dependent, but rather it was negatively affected by the increase of air temperature. Significant effects of the interaction between population size and some climatic variables were found and discussed. During the whole wintering season, Chott Tinsilt and Sebkhet Ezzemoul play an important ecological role since they offer a wide-ranging diurnal forging habitat and a shelter for thousands of this waterfowl.

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