Breeding Ecology of the Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus: First Data from North Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT Till now, the breeding biology of several North African bird populations has been little studied, particularly that of the southern populations of Iberian chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus. In the present study, total of 31 nests of Iberian chiffchaff were monitored in the northeastern Algeria during 2013–2017. The nesting period, clutch and brood sizes, and reproductive success of the species were determined. The first egg-laying dates of the first broods were spread over the first twenty days of April. There were significant among-year variations in nesting seasons. The Iberian chiffchaff clutch sizes averaged 4.51 eggs. The number of hatchlings and fledglings averaged 4.09 and 3.54 nestlings, respectively. There is no correlation between the nest height above the ground and the hatching and the breeding success of the species. Predation and nest abandonment were the main causes of the breeding failure of the Iberian chiffchaff in studied population, however, in general the breeding success was high – 80.7%. Breeding data for the Iberian chiffchaff at the southern edge of its breeding range in North Africa show smaller clutches and production of fewer young compared to the common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita in Europe.