Mortality incident in northern bald ibis <i>Geronticus eremita</i> in Morocco in May 1996

Touti, J.; Oumellouk, Fatima; Bowden, Christopher G. R.; Kirkwood, James; Smith, Kristin

doi:10.1046/j.1365-3008.1999.00050.x

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Counts at the colonies suggested that a total of 38 full-grown birds were lost from the population during this short period. In spite of intensive veterinary investigations in Morocco and the UK the cause of the incident was never determined although, if only by elimination of all other likely causes, avian botulism or an obscure virus remain possibilities (Touti et al . 1999).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sharp decrease in numbers of breeding pairs at PNSM in 1997 appears to have resulted from the mortality incident in May 1996 (Touti et al . 1999), and even by 1999 breeding numbers had not recovered to their high level of 1996.…”

Section: Seasonal Movements and Total Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…comm.). The IUCN listing as 'critical' (BirdLife International 2000) is based on the sharp decline in 1996 when there was an unexplained mortality incident (Touti et al . 1999), and on the very small area of the actual breeding sites.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The status and recent breeding performance of the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita population on the Atlantic coast of Morocco

Bowden

Aghnaj

Smith

et al. 2003

Ibis

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The main wild population of the Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita breeds on the Atlantic coast of Morocco in the Agadir region. This paper describes the numbers of breeding pairs over the last two decades, the recent breeding performance, the causes of egg and chick losses and their conservation implications. Since 1980 there has been no overall decline in numbers with, over the last 5 years, 59–74 pairs breeding and a peak prebreeding population of around 220 birds. In contrast with the now extinct Northern Bald Ibis populations in Turkey and elsewhere in Morocco, the birds are present in the Agadir region throughout the year and do not appear to migrate from the area outside the breeding season. Breeding performance is highly variable from one year to the next but does not appear to be related to rainfall in the vicinity of the colonies as has been reported elsewhere. It is suggested that coastal fogs in this region may buffer the adverse impacts of low rainfall and may in part account for the year‐round residency of the birds. The main causes of breeding failures have been loss of eggs to predators and, most importantly, poor chick survival as a result of starvation and predation. Conservation action to date has focused on reducing the negative influences on breeding success but it is recognized that for such a long‐lived bird adult survival is also likely to be an important limiting factor on the population size.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Seasonal Movements and Total Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The status and recent breeding performance of the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita population on the Atlantic coast of Morocco

Bowden

Aghnaj

Smith

et al. 2003

Ibis

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“…Although this population has developed well in recent years and signs of expansion of the breeding area have even been observed (10,81), it remains so far the world’s only wild population, spatially restricted to a small area on the Atlantic coast in Morocco. The significant decline of the population in 1996 as a result of an epidemic (82) and the dependence of the population on management like the provision of supplementary fresh water (62) indicate that this one population cannot ensure permanent survival of the species.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How human intervention and climate change shaped the fate of the Northern Bald Ibis from ancient Egypt to the presence: an interdisciplinary approach to extinction and recovery of an iconic bird species

Fritz

Janák

2020

Preprint

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Once widespread around the Mediterranean, the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) became one of the rarest birds in the world. We trace the history of this species through different epochs to the present. A particular focus is on its life and disappearance in ancient Egypt, where it attained the greatest mythological significance as a hieroglyphic sign for ‘blessed ancestor spirits’, and on modern endeavours to rewild and restore the species. The close association of the Northern Bald Ibis with human culture in ancient Egypt, as in other regions, is caused by primarily two reasons, the characteristic appearance and behaviour, as well as the need for open foraging areas. In consequence, a mutualistic relationship between humans and birds was formed in some cultures. The benefit for the Northern Bald Ibis was mainly the availability of feeding habitats, which were cleared by humans for farming or grazing and might have contributed to the spread of the species. The benefit to people was primarily cultural and mythological, whereby the bird was worshiped in ancient Egypt and in Muslim cultures, while Christian cultures in Europe rather regarded it as bad omen or nuisance, like any black bird species. Another benefit was profane in nature, the species was also hunted for food, mainly in Europe. But alike many other species, proximity to humans also carried a high risk for the Northern Bald Ibis. We discuss various kinds of human impacts that were driving causes for the extinction of the species in almost all regions. However, the historical disappearance of populations also correlates markedly with changes in climate, especially in ancient Egypt and the Middle Ages. This fact has important implications for current conservation efforts, especially since international action plans for the Northern Bald Ibis have taken little account of climate change effects so far. The Northern Bald Ibis is an outstanding example of how an interdisciplinary cultural-historical and natural-scientific approach significantly promotes the interpretation of historical evidence as well as the implementation of current rewilding and restoration efforts.

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“…The number of breeding pairs (Oubrou and El Bekkay 2016) increased steadily from 65 pairs in 1994 to 116 in 2015, which is the maximum number of breeding pairs since 1994. However, two massive declines interrupted this increase, one in 1997 following a severe mortality incident in May 1996 with an unknown cause that reduced the number of breeding pairs by 18 (Touti et al 1999), and one in 2012 with a reduction by more than 40 breeding pairs. The reason for this later decline is also not clear.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita in Morocco since 1900: Analysis of ecological requirements

Schenker¹,

Cahenzli

Gutbrod

et al. 2019

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryThe Northern Bald Ibis (NBI) Geronticus eremita, is an ‘Endangered’ bird species of which only very few wild breeding colonies have survived along the Atlantic coast of south-west Morocco. This paper analyses ecological conditions of the 72 breeding sites of the NBI that have been known since 1900 in Morocco. Characterisation of breeding sites is based on physical criteria (elevation above sea level, geomorphology, mean annual precipitation and types of landscape) as well as land use, vegetation cover, infrastructure and types of settlement within three perimeters (0–1 km, > 1–5 km and > 5–10(20) km) using Google Earth satellite images. Statistical analyses of the number of breeding pairs, fledglings and rainfall during different quarters of the year from 1994 to 2016 in the two remaining breeding sites in Souss-Massa National Park and Tamri showed expected patterns as well as unexpected differences between the two localities. Based on our findings and indications in the literature, we suggest general and specific recommendations for potential future translocation projects of the NBI. Based on the analysis of the 28 breeding colonies existing after 1977, two elements emerge as the most important prerequisites: a low level of disturbances at the breeding sites and adequate feeding areas at a reasonable distance of 5–15 km.

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Mortality incident in northern bald ibis Geronticus eremita in Morocco in May 1996

Cited by 7 publications

References 15 publications

The status and recent breeding performance of the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita population on the Atlantic coast of Morocco

The status and recent breeding performance of the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita population on the Atlantic coast of Morocco

How human intervention and climate change shaped the fate of the Northern Bald Ibis from ancient Egypt to the presence: an interdisciplinary approach to extinction and recovery of an iconic bird species

The Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita in Morocco since 1900: Analysis of ecological requirements

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