ON THE BIRDS OF MOROCCO

Fifteen months were spent in Morocco. A few ecological aspects of the country are described, together with their influence on the dispersal of birds in winter. Some winter visitors are listed and discussed, several species were much commoner in the winter of 1962/63 than in 1963/64, in some cases presumably as a result of the cold weather in Europe, although in others not obviously so. Cold-weather movements of gulls, Lapwings and Cranes were observed. Individuals of species that are normally trans-Saharan migrants winter in Morocco in small numbers. Spring migration in southeast Morocco is excluded from discussion, but autumn migration in western Morocco is summarized and compared with existing data. The systematic list is devoted largely to winter visitors and passage migrants, but resident species are listed when new localities, breeding data or field notes warrant their inclusion. Six species not hitherto recorded in Morocco, were seen.