NL Journal of Veterinary and Animal Nutrition

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Expansion of the Geographical Range of Long-tailed Dove Oena capnesis (Linnaeus, 1766) (Columbidae) in Syria

Author(s) : Ali Abdllatif Mansour*.

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Abstract

There are more than 390 bird species in Syria from different families such as columbidae. Seven bird species belong to this family; one of them is Namaqua dove Oena capnesis. This species was recorded for the first time in Syria in 2003 (Palmyra in the Syrian desert). It is resident and common in most sub-Saharan Africa, and less common in the middle east. Its geographical range has been expanded to the middle east since 1980s, and it was recoded from many middle east countries. In this study, this species was recoded from the Syrian coast (part from Mediterranean coast) (Latakia- Syria) in 2023. Four individuals (two males and two females) were recorded from two sites of Latakia governorate: Al-Shabatliyah and Burj Islam. This refers to the continuous expansion of the original geographical range of O. capensis towards the north in general and toward west in Syria. It is recommended that new studies of avifauna in Syria focus more on impact of climate change. Also, more investigations are needed to determine the types of food which this species may have in the Syrian coast. Keywords: Climate change, Geographical range, Namaqua dove, Syrian coast, Biodiversity.

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