Breeding ecology of woodchat shrikes Lanius senator was investigated in the EL-Kala National Park in North-East Algeria (36°53’N; 8°30’E) in 1998–1999. Quercus suber was the tree species most frequently used as support for nests, which were constructed at a mean height of 5 m. First eggs in clutches were laid 7 May, and clutch size was 4.9. Approximately 42% eggs gave fledglings. Clutch size declined during the course of the breeding season but fledgling success did not. Fledging success was positively correlated with per clutch mean egg length and the height of the nest location above ground. We suggest that the major selective pressures that shape the life history of Algerian woodchat shrikes are relatively heavy predation and poor food availability.
The diet of fennec fox has been investigated for the first time from scats collected during one year in three localities of the north-eastern Algerian Sahara: Guemar and Sanderouce (near Oued Souf) and Bamendil (near Ouargla). In Guemar, 160 items in 20 scats were identified including 93 insects (58.1 %), 11 plant fragments (6.9 %) and 38 dates of Phoenix dactylifera (23.8 %). In terms of biomass, with 37.4 % plant material was the most abundant, followed by birds (29.9 %) and mammals (14.9 %). In Sanderouce, 491 items in 37 scats were identified including 377 insects (77.1 %), 10 plant fragments (2.0 %) and 29 dates (5.9 %). In terms of biomass mammals (56.6 %) were far more abundant than squamates (15.4 %) and vegetal food (12.8 %). In Bamendil, 1246 items in 57 scats were identified; insects were the most numerous (87.9 %) followed by mammals (only 3.7 %), however the biomass of mammals was the highest (63.5 %) followed by birds (19.8 %) and insects (5.5 %). As was suggested by behavioural records, the diet of the fennec fox was mainly carnivorous, but included a significant amount of vegetal items, particularly dates collected in oases.