animals Article Foraging Behavior of Goats Browsing in Southern Mediterranean Forest Rangeland Youssef Chebli 1,2, * , Samira El Otmani 1,2 , Mouad Chentouf 2 , Jean-Luc Hornick 1 , Jérôme Bindelle 3 and Jean-François Cabaraux 1 1 Department of Veterinary Management of Animal Resources, University of Liège, Avenue de Cureghem 6, B43, 4000 Liège, Belgium; selotmani@doct.uliege.be (S.E.O.); jlhornick@ulg.ac.be (J.-L.H.); jfcabaraux@uliege.be (J.-F.C.) 2 National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), 78 Bd. Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Tangier 90010, Morocco; mouad.chentouf@gmail.com 3 Precision Livestock and Nutrition Unit, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium; jerome.bindelle@uliege.be * Correspondence: ychebli@doct.uliege.be Received: 5 December 2019; Accepted: 20 January 2020; Published: 23 January 2020   Simple Summary: Grazing goats in forests is an ancestral practice in the Mediterranean region. This study aims to assess the seasonal variations in the feeding behavior of goats browsing in the Mediterranean forest rangeland of Northern Morocco for two years. The goats’ diet was largely composed of woody species. Overall, the smaller the bite mass, the higher the biting rate, leading to an increased instantaneous intake rate. During the dry season, goats tend to compensate for the low intake rate by extending daily grazing time, thus reducing the sensitivity of intake rates to forage availability. A particular high selection of cork oak was observed over seasons. The higher diet diversity was recorded during summer and fall compared to the spring. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the diet selection of goats is ultimately influenced by the herder’s decisions. Results confirm the high adaptability of goats to the seasonality of complex Moroccan forest rangelands. Abstract: Mediterranean forest rangelands offer an important feed source for goats. Concerns about grazing strategies and management schemes in order to ensure the rangeland sustainability of Southern Mediterranean forest have revived interest in the foraging behavior of goats. This study was conducted to investigate the seasonal changes of feeding behavior of grazing goats in the Southern Mediterranean forest rangeland of Northern Morocco during two consecutive years beginning in 2016. The direct observation method was used to compare diet composition, intake rate, and diet selectivity of goats during three seasons (spring, summer, and fall). Bite mass of each plant species selected by goats was estimated using hand-plucked simulation. The optimal foraging theory was used as a tool to explain the goats foraging decisions. Bite mass range was extremely wide and varied seasonally. The goats’ diet was largely composed of Cistus spp., Lavandula stoechas, Quercus spp., and Myrtus communis. The result shows that the smaller the bite mass, the higher the biting rate, leading to increased short term intake rates. The selection of various plant species during fall and summer enlarged the diet diversity of goats. As expected, goats preferred trees and some shrubs despite their low availability. Consequently, the most available species is not necessarily the most positively selected. Particular high and positive selection of Quercus suber was observed over seasons. The outcomes confirm the high adaptability and ability of goats to select a woody species across seasons. Knowledge about forage availability and the feeding behavior of goats could be used as the first guide for rangeland managers to ensure herd and forest sustainability. Keywords: goat; feeding behavior; forage availability; diet composition; Northern Morocco Animals 2020, 10, 196; doi:10.3390/ani10020196 www.mdpi.com/journal/animals