Abstract
The present study investigates the population trends of Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis (Podicipedidae: Podicidae) over 5 years (2009–2013) in three Middle Atlas wetlands (Aguelmam Afennourir, Dayet Aoua and Dayet Ifrah). Using generalized linear models with a Poisson distribution, we demonstrated that the number of Black-necked Grebe breeding pairs has varied significantly and positively over the 5 years and between the three study wetlands. The annual population growth rate of the three colonies was 0.48 (±0.01). This positive trend is consistent with the current Least Concern conservation status of the IUCN Red List. Further more detailed studies are, however, needed to improve our understanding on the mechanisms driving the population increase in this part of North Africa. This remains a prerequisite for proper population conservation and management.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the two anonymous reviewers and the Editor of Wetlands Ecology and Management journal, for commenting on an earlier version of the manuscript. This study complies with the current Moroccan laws as it is based on simple field observations without any experiment or prejudice to the animals studied.
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Cherkaoui, I., Bouajaja, A., Elbanak, A. et al. The Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis): an expanding species in the Middle Atlas wetlands, Morocco. Wetlands Ecol Manage 22, 93–98 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-013-9321-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-013-9321-7