Biologie de reproduction de la tourterelle des bois Streptopelia turtur dans le périmètre irrigué du Haouz (Marrakech - Maroc)

The breeding biology of Turtle Dove was studied in 2003 and 2004 in olive groves in irrigated areas of the Haouz. Turtle Doves built their nests at an average height of 2,74 ± 0,61 m (n = 204) from the ground, and at 1,88 ± 0,62 m from the trunk, at 1,48 t 0,75 m from the upper canopy at 2,13 ± 0,57 m from the lowest part of the canopy. On the taller trees, birds tended to build their nests higher above and towards the external part of the tree. Birds arrived from migration by mid March and began nest-building between the end of the month and early April. Egg-laying started during the first weeks of April, with the latest were recorded during the last weeks of July. Hatching was noted from the last weeks in April until mid August. The breading season lasted about five months, from first egg-laying to last fledged chicks. Average clutch size was 1,94 eggs per nest in 2003 and 1,96 in 2004, two eggs clutches were dominant (94% in 2003 and 96% in 2004). Nest desertion (41,8%, n = 304) and predation (32,2%) were the main causes of failure at the egg stage. At the chick stage, predation was the most important cause of fledging failure (77,1%, n = 35). Breeding success as defined by the proportion of nests for which at least one chick fledged was 55,0% in 2003 and 44,7% in 2004 with a productility of respectively 1,1 and 0,9 fledged chicks per nest. Average density of nests with eggs over the whole study was of 28,2 nests per hectare.