Nesting of blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius) in an Urban area in North Africa

Abstract

For the first time a nesting success of a Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) couple was conducted in a residential area of the city center of the municipality of El-Bouni, in the northeast of Algeria. This municipality has a high population density and contains several commercial and industrial areas, which make it a considerable source of disturbance for birds.In the breeding seasons of 2016, 2017 and 2018 this couple nestled in a hole under a roof of a house. This is contrary to the known behavior of this species, which frequents the rocky areas, the steep rocky slopes, the mountain slopes with boulders, the canyons, the valleys, generally in arid lands. The observation of this phenomenon proves the important ability of Blue Rock Thrush to overcome human disturbances in urban areas.