The first record of the White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) in Cyrenaica, eastern Libya. The observation was made on 25 August 2025 in the Kroom Al-Khayl area, located approximately 12 km west of Tobruk, where an adult individual was recorded at a coastal agricultural site considered suitable habitat for migratory waterbirds.

This record represents the first occurrence of the species in eastern Libya and the second confirmed record in Libya, following its initial documentation in Misrata (western Libya) in 2022. The observation supports the hypothesis of occasional range expansion or irregular vagrancy of this species toward North Africa, particularly in light of recent records outside its traditional sub-Saharan distribution range.

The finding highlights the ecological importance of Libyan coastal habitats and wetlands, both natural and artificial, in supporting waterbird biodiversity. It also underscores the need for continued systematic monitoring and scientific documentation to better understand the dynamics of this species’ presence in Libya and to determine whether it will remain a rare visitor or become more regularly recorded in the future.

For further details, the full scientific paper is available in the Scientific Publications section of this platform.