The city of Oued Zem recently hosted a national goldfinch singing competition in which associations from Casablanca, El Jadida, and Boujaâd participated.
A national competition for the singing of the goldfinch and its hybrid was organised at the sports club of the city of Oued Zem, with the participation of 44 competitors representing several bird enthusiast associations from Morocco. Initiated by the Goldfinch Bird Enthusiasts Association of Oued Zem (ACAOZ) and placed under the aegis of the Moroccan Ornithology Federation and the Leagues of Casablanca and Settat, this competition was administered by the national referee, Mohamed Elkala. According to the president of the ACAOZ, Marouane Satout, this national competition, which recorded the participation of members of associations from Casablanca, El Jadida, Oued Zem, and Boujaâd, is intended as a framework for raising awareness against poaching, illegal hunting, and the trafficking abroad of the Moroccan goldfinch, which is highly prized for its beauty and melodies.
"The Oued Zem Association has taken the necessary steps with the Directorate of Water and Forests to request assistance to enable it to contribute to the safeguarding, protection, and reproduction of the Moroccan goldfinch, which is threatened with extinction," he indicated.
This National Goldfinch Singing Competition constituted a true recital rich in melodies, which graced a beautiful spring day and delighted a large audience of enthusiasts of this pretty passerine with its colourful plumage. For the goldfinch singing, the three podium spots were respectively taken by Ayoub Karakhi of the Casablanca Ornithology and Environment Association (115 points), Abdelkader Elhadir of the Al-Qods Bird Enthusiasts Association of Casablanca (108 points), and Abdellatif Hakimi of the ACAOZ Association of Oued Zem (103 points). For the hybrid goldfinch singing, the first three prizes were won by Kamal Houmi of the Mazagan Association of El Jadida (102 points), Ayoub Satout of the ACAOZ association (62 points), and Ayoub Atlane, of the Al Mouâtamid Ibn Abbad Association of Boujaâd (58 points). Trophies and certificates were awarded to the deserving competitors. Furthermore, the Moroccan "Parva" goldfinch is recognised for its singing abilities. It can mate with a female canary to produce the famous hybrid or "mule." In Morocco, some 80% of this beautiful ornamental bird has disappeared due to urban expansion which decimates orchards, insecticides which destroy the flora of its diet, poaching, illegal hunting, and recurring trafficking and smuggling, particularly towards Algeria.
Insufficient efforts are being deployed by the water and forest services and environmental defenders for the protection, breeding, and reproduction of this type of passerine, in timid application of the laws in force and the Washington Convention which governs the international trade in wild species threatened with extinction, including the goldfinch.
