Morocco helps Spain revive extinct bird species
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On September 9th, 18 Andalusian quail chicks travelled from Morocco to the zoobotanical garden in Jerez, Spain, beginning an effort to reintroduce the bird, extinct in Spain since 1981, to the Andalusian coastline.
The Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus, also known as the quail, disappeared from Spain after a hunter killed the last confirmed individual near Doñana National Park.
Though the species still exists in a shrinking population in Morocco, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, the Mediterranean subspecies is critically endangered. Securing the chicks required overcoming bureaucratic hurdles and collaboration between the Moroccan, Spanish, and Andalusian governments. A team led by Pablo Oliva spent months in Morocco, integrating with local communities near Oualidia to locate nests.
They faced challenges including power outages that threatened the incubators and relied on gestures and local knowledge to gain trust and understand the birds’ dwindling habitat. The quail’s decline mirrors a pattern seen across the Mediterranean, including in Sicily, Portugal, and other North African countries, due to intensive agriculture and coastal development. Pesticide use reduces the insect population the birds rely on for food.
Researchers at the Doñana Biological Station observed a dramatic drop in the Moroccan quail population between 2011 and 2014, falling from thousands to only hundreds of individuals. The chicks will now be bred in captivity at the Jerez zoo, with plans for eventual reintroduction into suitable, healthy agricultural ecosystems.
