Marrakech – Morocco and Spain have launched a conservation program for the Andalusian buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus), a threatened bird subspecies whose last known population survives along Morocco’s Atlantic coast.
The program establishes two captive-breeding populations, one at Aïn Sebaâ Zoo in Casablanca and another at the Jerez Zoo and Botanical Garden in Andalusia.
The initiative brings together Morocco’s National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF), Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, and the Regional Government of Andalusia, with facilitation from the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN Med).
The two countries launched the project in 2026, marking a step toward reinforcing declining wild populations in Morocco while opening the possibility of returning the species to Spain, where it disappeared from the Iberian Peninsula decades ago.
The Andalusian buttonquail is native to the Mediterranean Basin but has vanished from the Iberian Peninsula and most of the Mediterranean region. Its remaining population lives in a small area along Morocco’s Atlantic coast, mainly in the Oualidia region, where it depends on traditional agricultural landscapes. That situation gives Morocco a particular responsibility for the subspecies’ conservation.
A team of Moroccan and Spanish experts conducted field surveys, which made it possible to establish a group of captive-bred birds to serve as breeding stock. Some of these birds are being kept at Aïn Sebaâ Zoo in Casablanca to help reinforce the Oualidia population.
The team transferred a further 18 birds on September 9 to the Jerez Zoo and Botanical Garden Biodiversity Conservation Centre, where the ex situ breeding program will begin, according to the Regional Ministry of Sustainability and Environment of the Regional Government of Andalusia.
The transfer followed years of exchanges between the two countries. In November 2024, IUCN Med organized a visit to Andalusia by a Moroccan delegation led by ANEF, together with specialists in ecology, protected area management, ecotourism, and veterinary science.
The delegation visited the Jerez Zoo, the Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, the Migres Foundation’s International Bird Migration Centre in Tarifa, and the Strait of Gibraltar Marine Environment Management Centre in Algeciras.
Talks covered conservation programs for species such as the northern bald ibis and the Iberian lynx, along with the possible breeding of the African serval and sea turtle conservation. The Andalusian buttonquail was central to those discussions.
According to the Regional Government of Andalusia, the 18 birds came from eggs recovered in Morocco and incubated until they hatched. After meeting veterinary and administrative requirements, the birds arrived at the Port of Algeciras and were transported to Jerez.
For IUCN Med, the transfer reflects the value of sustained cooperation. “The arrival of these birds in Jerez demonstrates the value of maintaining spaces for dialogue and cooperation between institutions and specialists on both shores of the Mediterranean,” said Maher Mahjoub, director of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation.
Zouhair Amhaouch of ANEF stressed the benefit for both sides: “The Moroccan population is also threatened, and working together allows us to better understand it, protect the habitats on which it depends and, in the future, reinforce it with birds bred at the two breeding centres.”
ANEF announced this week the implementation of its ex situ conservation program, which combines monitoring of wild populations, captive breeding, and the preservation of genetic diversity. The first breeding nucleus is now maintained at Aïn Sebaâ Zoo, serving as a security reservoir for the species.
ANEF director Abderrahim Houmy described the effort as an additional guarantee for the bird’s future. “Our objective is to progressively consolidate the knowledge, breeding capacities, and conservation resources needed to sustainably support the wild population,” he said.
The program falls under Morocco’s “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030” strategy. The Regional Government of Andalusia plans at least four further campaigns in Morocco in the coming years to consolidate the assurance population.
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