24 Nov 2017
It has had a dramatic history and
was almost lost to extinction. Now this Critically Endangered bird is bouncing
back with record breeding success in Morocco in 2017.
By Shaun Hurrell
As the day drew to a close, the
orange light reflecting from the Atlantic seemed to soften the texture of the
sun-baked Moroccan cliffs so much so they looked like they could crumble in an
instant. There the birds were: perched on a couple of sloping, sandstone
ledges, an entire colony of about 20 settling in for the night, low squawks and
rustles heard above the scouring waves only a few metres below. Birds often
nest in precarious places, and despite the cliffs in Tamri, southwest Morocco,
actually being pretty strong, by knowing this species’ Critically Endangered
status, you cannot help but feel a little worried for these large,
iridescent-black creatures.
Throughout history, Northern Bald
Ibis Geronticus eremita has had a turbulent relationship
with humans. This mythical bald bird with a punkish crest once had an extensive
range that spread across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe, and has been
idolised by humans as symbols of fertility and virtue, even mummified to
accompany Ancient Egyptian royalty.
Today, almost all remaining wild
birds are restricted to Morocco
Yet it has lost its feeding areas
to land-use changes, its nest sites have been built on or disturbed, and it has
also been poisoned by pesticides, hunted, persecuted, collected in a gold rush
for museums, and a dramatic range-reduction resulted in an all-time population
low at the end of the 20th century with only 59 breeding pairs remaining in
1997. Today, almost all remaining wild birds are restricted to Morocco.
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