Birding Factoids

470 species in
55 families

 No endemic species
33 speciality species
12 endangered species
2-3 week trip expectation -
up to 210 species
    Egypt
    Hotspots
 Travel AdvisoryChecklist of Egyptian BirdsTours and GuidesEco-LodgesSpeciality BirdsMap and General Country InformationClimate
..
Check out Guido Band's Gallery of Birds of the Sinai
...
Egyptian Specialities
Egyptian Goose - Photo copyright Ross Warner
Photo copyright Ross Warner

White Stork - Photo copyright Erik Kleyheeg

Photo copyright Eric Kleyheeg

Pink-backed Pelican - Photo copyright Lynnette Oxley

Photo copyright Lynnette Oxley

Spotted Crake - Photo copyright Kibbutz Lotan Birdwatching Center

Photo copyright Kibbutz Lotan Birdwatching Center

Western Reef-Egret - Photo copyright Guido Band

Photo copyright Guido Band

Spur-winged Plover - Photo copyright Cliff Buckton

Photo copyright Cliff Buckton
     
    ....Birding Egypt - Egypt is a birder's paradise!  While world renown 
      for its antiquities, Egypt's natural heritage is as rich as her cultural heritage.  Situated at the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa the country is blessed with a wide range of ecosystems each with its own unique bird life.  The country is located on major migration routes with millions of birds passing through the country every autumn and spring.  Many species over winter, Egyptian wetlands are internationally important wintering sites for water birds. In Egypt you can also bird in the past.  The Ancient Egyptians were superb natural historians and vividly documented the flora and fauna of their time on the walls of tombs and temples. Over 76 different species of birds can be identified from the wall paintings, reliefs and other artefacts.
    ...
    ....The Beauty of Sinai - by Guido Band. Sinai lies at the cross roads
      between the Balkan, the Middle East and Africa. It is an important funnel for bird migration (200 kinds). It's importance comes close after Bosporus (Turkey), Tarifa (Spain) and Falsterbo (Sweden). This site contains checklists, site descriptions and lots of other information.
    ...
    ....Sinai - Waiting for Birds - During autumn migration, from August to
      December, birds start flocking from Europe and fly as far as South Africa. The Red Sea coasts are a major migration route for birds and Egypt is a major stopping point on the way. Every year, 32 different species of raptors and cranes and 82 percent of the world's population of white storks pass through Sinai on their journey south.
    ...
    ....The birds of the islands at the mouth of the Gulf of Suez, Egyptian
      Red Sea - by Richard Hoath, Dr. Derek Russell, Rafik Khalil and Dina Kahlil. In summer 1994, two ornithological surveys were undertaken of some of the islands north of Hurghada, at the Gulf of Suez mouth in the Egyptian Red Sea. Identifies birds to be found on this island group.
    ...
    ....The Zaranik Experience - by Waheed Salama and Andrew Grieve - 
      Where else is it possible to have almost exclusive use of several miles of a beautiful sandy beach, excellent weather and thousands of birds flying past all day on visible migration? This is autumn at the eastern Mediterranean migration hotspot of Zaranik, Egypt.
    ...
    ....Egypt - Directory of Wetlands of International Importance - includes 
      information on all Egyptian Ramsar designated sites, including:
      • Lake Bardawil
      • Lake Burullus
    ...
    ....Trip Report: Egypt, December 4-18, 1995. K. Reidland M.D.
      In December, I attended a medical conference in Cairo, Egypt, and did a little birding on the side. The antiquities in Egypt are probably the best preserved in the entire world and they are quite fascinating, but my principal interest has always been birds, and I am an inveterate life-lister. This a brief narrative of my birding experiences in Egypt. 
    ...
    ....Trip Report: Hurghada and Luxor (Egypt), August 31 - September 6,
      2000, by Ole Post. My close friend during a lifetime, Jørgen Schultz and I invited our dear wives on a vacation trip to the sunny Red Sea, the Egyptian East Coast, and an extension trip across the Eastern desert to visit Luxor and the impressive temples and The Valley of Kings.  A small return for the many hours and days we have left them behind going power birding.  We had promised our dear ones not to turn this vacation into any form of bird race - but after all, Hurghada is located close to the migration super highway. 
    ...
    ....Egypt Trip Report Highlights - by Dave Gosney. An illustrated trip 
      report on birds of the Red Sea. See also Dave's on-line update to Finding Birds in Egypt.
    ...
    ....Trip Report: Some bird sites in Egypt and Jordan, by Anssi Kullberg.
      In this report I intend to very shortly sum up some experiences in certain places in Egypt, Israel, West Bank, and Jordan, concerning spots which are less frequently visited by most birdwatchers. These observations are all from January 2002. 
    ...
    ....Egypt Trip Reports - you can find Egyptian trip reports on John
      Girdley's BirdTours website by following the Africa/Egypt link from the main page.

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Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
Egyptian Vulture - Photo copyright Pandion - D
Photo copyright Pandion - D

Greater Painted-snipe - Photo copyright Tom & Marie Tarrant

Photo copyright Tom & Marie Tarrant
    **..Egyptian Birding Tours for Independent Travellers - arranged 
      for you by Mindy Baha El Din who organizes and guides tours in co-operation with Thomas Cook or for independent travellers or small groups. Mindy Baha El Din has 10 years experience in birding tourism in Egypt. As the author of numerous articles and paper on birding in Egypt, she has the second highest list for the country with over 350 species recorded.  If you want to organize a successful birding holiday and see all the specialities, then contact the leading expert in Egypt birding tourism. Call: 202-3608160 in Cairo or send e-mail to: baha@internetegypt.com.
    **..Egyptian Birding Tours with South Sinai Travel - Egypt occupies a
      significant strategic geographical position as a bridge between continents offering migratory species the perfect route for their annual flights from Europe and Asia.  A wide variety of habitats ranging from high rugged mountains to desert and tropical style jungle along the Nile basin, give it a unique character plus the diversity needed to attract an extremely wide range of bird life.  In addition, to pre-arranged group tours, South Sinai Travel is skilled at creating specially tailor-made itineraries to suit every clients' needs. Whether for 1 person or 1000, no effort is spared to ensure that your trip to Egypt is indeed the trip of a lifetime.

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Eco-Lodges

See DISCLAIMER


         None found YET...

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Speciality Birds in Egypt

Information on endemics and specialities is derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists and bird distribution lists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.05, supplemented by information provided by Mindy and Sharif Baha El Din (see Tours and Guides section) or found in Where to Watch Birds in Africa - by Nigel Wheatley. Speciality birds, while not endemic, are those that have a restricted range or are easier to see here than in other African countries. Information on endangered birds is derived from the IUCN Red List, Birdlife International.  The endemic, endangered and speciality birds may be uncommon, extremely rare vagrants, may be extirpated in the country now or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of each species noted below have been made in Egypt. 

 
No Egyptian Endemics 
Endangered Birds in Egypt
Breeding Birds
Non-Breeding Birds
___ White-eyed Gull ___ Black-winged Pratincole
___ Cinereous Bunting
___ Corn Crake
___ Dalmation Pelican
___ Ferruginous Pochard
___ Great Snipe		 ___ Greater Spotted Eagle
___ Imperial Eagle
___ Lesser Kestrel
___ Pallid Harrier
___ Sociable Lapwing

Other Speciality Birds in Egypt
___ African Pied Wagtail
___ African Skimmer
___ Blackstart
___ Bridled Tern
___ Brown Booby
___ Desert Finch
___ Dunn's Lark
___ Egyptian Goose
___ Egyptian Nightjar
___ Hooded Wheatear
___ Hume's Owl		 ___ Kittlitz's Sand Plover
___ Lappet-faced Vulture
___ Lesser Crested Tern
___ Litchenstein's Sandgrouse
___ Nile Valley Sunbird
___ Painted Snipe
___ Pale Rosefinch
___ Palestine Sunbird
___ Pharaoh Eagle-Owl
___ Pink-backed Pelican
___ Pink-headed Dove		 ___ Senegal Coucal
___ Senegal Thick-knee
___ Sooty Falcon
___ Sand Partridge
___ Swift Tern
___ Tristram's Starling
___ White-cheeked Tern
___ White-eyed Gull
___ White-tailed Lapwing
___ Yellow-billed Kite
___ Yellow-billed Stork

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Weather and Best Birding

 Information obtained fromand
from Where to Watch Birds in Africa - by Nigel Wheatley. supplemented by
information provided by Mindy and Sharif Baha El Din (see Tours and Guides section)


Month Birding Conditions Cairo Luxor
Temperature 
F / C
 Rainfall 
(inches)
Temperature
F / C
Rainfall 
(inches)
January Good for Wintering Birds
56.8 / 13.8
0.2
57.0 / 13.9
0.0
February Good for Wintering Birds.  Migration Starts End of Month
59.4 / 15.2
0.1
60.8 / 16.0
0.0
March Good Migration and Breeding Birds
63.3 / 17.4
0.1
68.2 / 20.1
0.0
April Best Birding - peak migration
70.5 / 21.4
0.1
77.9 / 25.5
0.0
May Migration.  Good for Resident Breeding Birds and Summer Visitors
76.5 / 24.7
0.0
85.8 / 29.9
0.0
June Summer Breeding Birds and African species
81.1 / 27.3
0.0
89.8 / 32.1
0.0
July Summer Breeding Birds and African species
82.2 / 27.9
0.0
90.5 / 32.5
0.0
August Migration Begins mid Month and Most Summer Visitors
82.2 / 27.9
0.0
89.8 / 32.1
0.0
September Peak Migration and Some Summer Visitors
79.3 / 26.3
0.0
86.0 / 30.0
0.0
October Good Migration
74.7 / 23.7
0.0
79.3 / 26.3
0.0
November Good for Migrant Vagrants
66.4 / 19.1
0.1
68.7 / 20.4
0.0
December Good for Wintering Birds
59.2 / 15.1
0.2
60.1 / 15.6
0.0
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