Bird life of Egypt
Published: 08/09/2009
Many of Egypt's more than 400 recorded species are migrants, using Egypt as a staging post every spring and fall as they journey to and from their European breeding grounds. The smaller birds- the warblers, chats, flycatchers, and buntings and so on- pass through in millions. In autumn, Egypt's North Coast is a bird watcher's paradise, first landfall for birds from Europe crossing the Mediterranean, where anything from a willow warbler to a nightjar can be seen flying in off the sea at places such as the Zaranik Protectorate near Al Arish in northern Sinai.
However, it is for the large birds the white and black storks the raptors, cranes and pelicans-that Egypt is of most importance. These birds channel down specific migration corridors since, because of their large size, they are dependent on thermals of rising warm air for prolonged flight. Since thermals are weak over open water, these species bottleneck at each end of the Mediterranean to avoid the sea. Many have to come through Egypt, converging at key points such as the Suez, Ain Sukhna, and Gebel Zeit, and providing one of the world's wildlife spectacles
Photo Gallery
Spoonbill
Birds in Egypt
