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Overview
The small country of Kuwait, lying at the head of the Arabian Gulf, is in the extreme south-eastern corner of the Western Palearctic and, although not known as a birding destination, there are many species of interest to be seen.
The country is largely gravel desert and the main ornithological interest lies along the coasts.
Birds
Notable Species
Laughing Dove, White-cheeked Bulbul and Common Mynah are common in Kuwait City and Desert Eagle Owl may still breed in parts of the country as well as White-breasted Kingfisher. House Crow has bred and occurs regularly.
Larks are well-represented in this arid country and include Greater Short-toed Lark, Desert Lark and Greater Hoopoe Lark with Bar-tailed Desert Lark, Thick-billed Lark and Temminck's Horned Lark also possible and Dunn's Lark and Black-crowned Finch Larks have recently been recorded.
A wide range of wheatears also occurs on passage and in winter and can include Northern Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, Pied Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Mourning Wheatear and Red-tailed Wheatear. Basra Reed Warbler is present from April until September but breeding species are few.
Passage and wintering birds include some extremely interesting species. Grey Hypocolius, a bird very difficult to see in the Western Palearctic, regularly occurs along Kuwaiti coasts in spring and autumn, and passage raptors include Pallid Harrier, Steppe Buzzard, Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle and Greater Spotted Eagle. Greater Flamingo occurs in winter and on passage and Demoiselle Crane is a rare but regular migrant over Kuwait.
Passerine migrants include various warblers such as Upcher's Warbler and Olive-tree Warbler as well as redstarts, nightingales, White-throated Robin and Rufous Scrub Robin, flycatchers, shrikes and Eurasian Golden Oriole.
Wheatears including Mourning Wheatear and Red-tailed Wheatear are present in winter as well as Penduline Tit, Desert Warbler, Menetries's Warbler and Moustached Warbler. Coastal birds include Crab Plover which winters in good numbers in Kuwait Bay, White-tailed Plover and Caspian Plover are regular.
Pallas's Gull, Slender-billed Gull and Armenian Gull are common and terns include Gull-billed Tern and Caspian Tern in winter, White-cheeked Tern and Bridled Tern and both Crested terns. Other Arabian specialities found here on passage or in winter include Persian Shearwater and Socotra Cormorant, both species unlikely to be seen in the Western Palearctic outside the Gulf, and Egyptian Nightjar which is probably a regular migrant.
Rarities
Nearly 300 species in all have been recorded in Kuwait and rarities such as Indian Roller, Eversmann's Redstart and Guldenstadt's Redstart and Dusky Thrush and Dark-throated Thrush are possible. Shikra may be a rare but regular migrant.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Persian Shearwater, Great Cormorant, Socotra Cormorant, Great White Pelican, Great Bittern, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret, Western Reef Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Greylag Goose, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Marbled Duck, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Western Honey-Buzzard, Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Levant Sparrowhawk, Long-legged Buzzard, Steppe Buzzard, Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, (rare W), Booted Eagle, Osprey, (rare W), Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Northern Hobby, Lanner Falcon, Saker Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Common Quail, Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Little Crake, Baillon's Crake, Corn Crake, Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Macqueen's Bustard, Demoiselle Crane, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Crab Plover Stone Curlew, Cream-coloured Courser, Collared Pratincole, Black-winged Pratincole, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Caspian Plover, Kentish Plover, Dotterel, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, White-tailed Plover, Sanderling, Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Ruff, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Red-necked Phalarope, Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua, Great Black-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Heuglin's Gull, (scarce W), Caspian Gull, Armenian Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, (rare W), White-cheeked Tern, Bridled Tern, Little Tern, Saunders' Little Tern, Whiskered Tern, White-winged Black Tern, Spotted Sandgrouse, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Feral Rock Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Laughing Dove, Namaqua Dove, Ring-necked Parakeet, Common Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Eurasian Scops Owl, Desert Eagle Owl, Little Owl, Short-eared Owl, European Nightjar, Egyptian Nightjar, Common Swift, Pallid Swift, (breeds in Kuwait City), Alpine Swift, Common Kingfisher, White-breasted Kingfisher, (scarce resident), Pied Kingfisher, Eurasian Hoopoe, European Roller, Indian Roller, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, European Bee-eater, Eurasian Wryneck, Dunn's Lark, Bar-tailed Desert Lark, Desert Lark, Greater Hoopoe Lark, Bimaculated Lark, Thick-billed Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Woodlark, Oriental Skylark, Eurasian Skylark, Temminck's Horned Lark, Sand Martin, Eurasian Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Northern House Martin, Tawny Pipit, Tree Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Water Pipit, Blue-headed Wagtail, Black-headed Wagtail, Kirghiz Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail, White-cheeked Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Grey Hypocolius, Dunnock, Rufous Scrub Robin, Eurasian Robin, Thrush Nightingale, Common Nightingale, Bluethroat, White-throated Robin, Eversmann's Redstart, Black Redstart, Common Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Isabelline Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Finsch's Wheatear, Pied Wheatear, Mourning Wheatear, Red-tailed Wheatear, White-crowned Black Wheatear, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Eurasian Blackbird, Black-throated Thrush, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Cetti's Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Graceful Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Eurasian River Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, (rare Su), Clamorous Reed Warbler, (rare in Su and W), Great Reed Warbler, (rare Su), Basra Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, (rare Su), Sykes's Warbler, Upcher's Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Menetries's Warbler, Desert Warbler, Orphean Warbler, Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Hume's Lesser Whitethroat, Desert Lesser Whitethroat, (rare W), Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Green Warbler, Wood Warbler, Mountain Chiffchaff, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Common Babbler, Penduline Tit, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Daurian Shrike, Turkestan Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Southern Grey Shrike, Steppe Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike, House Crow, Brown-necked Raven, Common Starling, Rose-coloured Starling, Common Mynah, Bank Mynah, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Pale Rock Sparrow, (rare in Su), Yellow-throated Sparrow, Indian Silverbill, Chaffinch, Brambling, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Eurasian Linnet, Common Rosefinch, Cinereous Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Little Bunting, Reed Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Corn Bunting
Other Wildlife
To do
Site Information
History and Use
The two Gulf Wars have been devastating but it is hoped there has been little long-term damage to the region's birdlife although it may be many years before birders return to the area. The more inland parts of the country have also suffered extensively from effects of overgrazing.
Areas of Interest
Kuwait Bay
The best birding areas lie around the shores of Kuwait Bay and in particular Sulaibikhat Bay and Jahra Pool where crakes, waders and reedbed warblers occur. Broad-billed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper and Terek Sandpiper are possible here and Dead Sea Sparrow has recently been recorded at Jahra. Warblers here can include Eurasian Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Basra Reed Warbler and Marsh Warbler among others.
Kubbar
Kubbar is an offshore island to the south-east where various terns including White-cheeked Tern and Bridled Tern can be seen and Saunders' Little Tern may be a rare but regular passage migrant in Kuwait. Boat-trips to this and other islands can be very productive.
Wadi Al-Batin
Inland areas under cultivation that were worth exploring before the Gulf War include Wadi Al-Batin, once home to Macqueen's Bustard, Al-Abraq and Al-Khabari.
Jal Az-Sor
The Jal Az-Zor ridge is an eighty km long escarpment which has breeding Brown-necked Raven.
Access and Facilities
Tourists are rare in Kuwait and birders rarer still but accommodation is available, although expensive and mainly in Kuwait City. Car-hire is also expensive but necessary as public transport is poor.
Contact Details
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External Links
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Content and images originally posted by Steve
