First record of the African green bee-eater Merops viridissimus (Swainson, 1837) in Southern Algeria.

Abstract

On November 4th, 2023, in the Tawendert region (20° 38' N, 2°45' E) of Algeria, near the border with Mali, members of the the Algerian Wildlife Watchers Association (AWWA) observed and photographed two individuals of the African green bee-eater Merops viridissimus perched on an acacia tree. This observation marks the first recorded sighting of this species in Algeria and in the Maghreb region as a whole. Key words: New record, African green bee-eater, Merops viridissimus, Algeria, Sahara