Breeding ecology of the Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor (Glareolidae) on semi-arid grazing land in Souss-Massa National Park, southwestern Morocco

Abstract

This study presents the first data on the breeding ecology of the Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor (family Glareolidae) in a grazed semi-arid steppe in southwestern Morocco. The egg-laying occurred between early May and July, with most nests found between May and June. The observed mean clutch size (1.86 ± 0.36 SD, n = 21 nests) and mean egg volume (11.59 ± 1.03 cm3, n = 39 eggs) were comparable to those recorded in the subspecies C. c. exsul in Cape Verde. Nest survival recorded over the whole incubation period was relatively high.