Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Similar in size to Common Whitethroat. In general, it is grey brown but male has a distinguished black crown. First year birds and females have a warm brown crown. These features prevent confusion with any other warbler.

Kingdom : Birds, Bulbul

Generally sooty in colour with black head and fine pale scalloping on upperparts and breast when seen close; slightly crested and with red undertail-coverts. In flight, reveals off-white rump and white tip to blackish tail. Can be gregarious.

Kingdom : Birds, Bulbul

Size of a small thrush. Easily told by black head and throat with large white cheek-patch; the race that occurs in the region, leucotis, often shows only slight crest. Undertail-coverts yellow and noticeable white tips to tail-feathers. Juvenile has browner head than adult.

Kingdom : Birds, Bunting

Resembles a bright version of Ortolan Bunting. Male has bright blue-grey head and breast band framing rusty orange throat, rufous rump, a rufous-buff vent and undertail coverts. Belly orange-chestnut, blackish brown tertials with clear-cut rufous-chestnut notched fringe. Female duller, often with traces of ash-grey on head, some grey on streaked breast. Compare with Ortolan Bunting.

Kingdom : Birds, Bunting

Medium sized bunting with blue-grey bill, narrow yellow eye-ring and white in outer tail feathers. Male has yellowish green crown, sides of face and throat, with otherwise greyish plumage, including unstreaked grey rump. In autumn upper breast is streaked darker. Female is olive grey-brown, streaked like autumn male. Throat has buffish or yellowish tinge, streaked […]

Kingdom : Birds, Bunting

Medium sized bunting with yellow eye-ring, pink bill, boldly streaked mantle and blackish brown tertials with clear-cut light chestnut brown edges. Male has olive greyish head and breast band which frames a pale yellowish throat. Female is duller, less olive, more brown tinged and more streaked. Throat pale yellow-buff. Compare with similar Cretzschmar’s Bunting.

Kingdom : Birds, Bunting

Male has unstreaked yellowish green crown, but otherwise plumage is grey. Throat white but in females whitish grey. Feet and bill in both sexes yellowish brown and eye dark brown in colour. Recorded in Qatar as passage migrant.

Kingdom : Birds, Bustard

Large, with long narrow neck and rather elongated body and long tail. In flight, wings long and evenly broad white primary patches evident. White and black crest in adults. Also black tufted feathers on side of neck with white central band.(lacking in juveniles) Breast uniformly grey, upperparts blotched and barred brown. Male elongates black and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

A medium-sized finch. Male is easily identified by blue-grey head, chestnut back, pinkish breast and 2 white wing-bars. Female is more nondescript but can be told by white wing-bars, white outer tail feathers and brownish to olive brown upperparts. Undulating flight with wings closed every few beats. Feeds mainly on ground where it moves rather […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

It is a middle-sized warbler, uniform dark olive greenish-grey in colour, with a round head and pot-bellied appearance.Yellow in plumage is limited to bend of wing, slight infusion on breast and sometimes under-tail coverts. Supercilium is short, off-white,tinged yellow or buff. A broken eye-ring often seen with dark ear coverts. Legs are black and bill […]

Kingdom : Bugs, Cicadas, Insects

Insect follows Cicadidae family, and Hemiptera order. Size is between 20-24 mm, and is grey and brown in colour. Larvas feed on tree roots, causing great harm to trees. Adults are distinguished with a unique squeaking noise during daylight when mating.

Kingdom : Hawk moths, Sphinx moths, and Hornworms, Insects, Moths and Butterflies

Insect follows Sphingidae family, and Lepidoptera order. Wing is grey; abdomen is black, rose and white lines. Wing is about 80-105 mm long. Larvas attack bindweed leaves and some plants of Convolvulaceae, Araceae , and Leguminosae.

Kingdom : Birds, Crane

Big and majestic when walking slowly on ground. Huge in flight; shape resembles White Stork (though slightly bigger and shorter-billed), but grey plumage contrasting with black flight-feathers, black head and upper neck, and white stripe from eye down along neck, are obvious features. Red band above eye visible only at closer range. Looks ‘bushy’ at […]

Kingdom : Birds, Cuckoo

Usually seen in flight when long tail, pointed wings and shallow wing-beats can cause resemblance to a Kestrel, but head held slightly raised and wings not lifted above level of body. Grey above with barring on underparts; grey underwing has pale line through centre. Female similar but with brown wash on band across breast. Also […]

Kingdom : Birds, Cuckoo

A large cuckoo with slight crest, very long tail and rather fast, shallow wing-beats. Unmistakable with grey upperparts, white-spotted coverts and white underparts. Juvenile is dark brown above with blackish head, white-spotted coverts and showing distinctive chestnut primaries (above and below) in flight.

Kingdom : Birds, Dove

Medium-small, sandy brown dove with narrow black half-collar on hindneck (absent in juvenile). Told from Turtle by unspotted sandy brown forewing (rufous, spotted blackish in Turtle), black neck-collar, whitish underwing (dark in Turtle), plainer uppertail (bolder patterned in Turtle), absence of well defined whitish belly-patch (present Turtle) and by less rapid flight with less jerky […]

Kingdom : Birds, Dove

Small, fast-flying dove with shorter tail and more pointed wings than Collared; easily told from it also by dark underwings, well defined whitish belly patch, rufous, black-spotted upperparts with blue-grey, well defined outerwing-panel and contrasting pattern of uppertail being darker with more clear-cut white corners, particularly when tail spread upon landing: black and white-streaked patch […]

Kingdom : Birds, Dove

Small, dark red-brown dove, recalling Collared in proportions but plumage closer to Turtle; smaller than both. Black-spotted patch on fore-neck and upper breast, unspotted red-brown upperparts with large, dull blue-grey area in outer-coverts distinguish it. Uppertail less contrasting than in Turtle. Juvenile lacks patch on fore-neck and is less richly coloured. Flight closer to Collared’s […]

Kingdom : Birds, Dove

Unmistakable at all ages. Very small blue-grey or grey-brown dove with long black central tail-feathers, recalling large Budgerigar in shape. In flight, black primaries show large red-brown patch. Male has black face and upper breast, which are brownish grey in female. Juvenile barred black and buff on crown, throat, wing-coverts and back. Very rapid flight […]

Kingdom : Birds, Dove

Medium-sized, compact, pale blue-grey pigeon, with two broad black bands across secondaries above and whitish or greyish rump. Underwing white with dark band at rear, black band on outer tail.The ancestor of the Feral Pigeon, some of which are very similar to Rock, others are blackish, whitish or reddish buff, but black bands on wing, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Male has a dark crown, mantle and leading edge to wing with white underwing-coverts. Female white below except for warm buff thighs and streaked breast, boldly barred flanks and lightly spotted underwing-coverts; dark crown and short moustache contrast with white cheeks. Crown is dark grey.

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Resembles Peregrine in outline and flight but slightly narrower based wings (male) give impression of longer tail. Adult separated from Peregrine by rufous nape and rear eyebrow, narrower moustache and larger pale cheek-patch, almost reaching eye; more creamy, less barred underparts,and often with dark ‘comma’ on greater primary coverts; upperparts paler blue-grey, more often with […]

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Size of Peregrine but resembles Saker in plumage and shape; long wings with ample hand, slightly blunt-ended when soaring; tail relatively long. Adult separated from most Sakers by barred, greyish upperparts, including distinctly barred uppertail, more contrasting head-pattern of black upper-forehead band, clear-cut narrow black eye-stripe, always conspicuous moustache and with crown unstreaked creamy buff, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Large, stocky falcon with relatively short tail and broad-based, sharply tapering wings which, when soaring, are more pointed than in other large falcons (except Barbary). Adult separated from Lanner and Saker by black crown and bold moustache, contrasting strongly with white throat and small cheek-patch, darker upperparts, barred underparts, but gleaming white upperbreast, and plain […]

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Size and shape similar to Hobby . Long-winged, but tail slightly shorter; elongated central tail feathers (sometimes seen in Hobby) but closed tail-tip pointed. Adult has slaty blue-grey upperparts with darker primaries and outer uppertail, blue-grey underparts (underwings appear paler). Female darker, less contrasting above. Young Sooty told from similar Hobby by greyer upperparts with […]

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Small, rather inconspicuous, ground dwelling finch with a large head, stout bill and rather short tail. Male distinctive with grey head pinkish wash on forehead, underparts and rump, and wings. Bill an orange-red. Non-breeding female and juvenile sandy grey-buff with slightly paler rump, blackish grey wings and tail with paler feather edgings and pale yellowish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Flycatcher

A small Flycatcher, with clear white spots on sides of tail base. Adult male has reddish orange throat, and sometimes upper breast. Sides of head and neck are lead-grey. Females and 2nd year males have buffish white throat, otherwise upper plumage is grey-brown and whitish below. It moves around foliage like Willow Warbler, raising tail.

Kingdom : Birds, Flycatcher

A brownish grey, long-winged flycatcher, with streaked forehead and breast, thin pale edges to greater coverts and tertials, and blackish bill. Males make short wavering flights for insects from exposed branches. Perches upright, often flicking wings.

Kingdom : Birds, Francolin

A rather drab, stub-tailed greyish brown gamebird with fine mottling and barring on upper and underparts with chestnut forehead and cheeks; has pale throat-patch bordered below by black ‘U’. In flight, shows chestnut tail. Hard to flush, but if pressed rises with explosive whirr of wings. Normally runs off very swiftly.

Kingdom : Birds, Goose

Smaller than the Greylag Goose. It is a warm grey-brown, with a dark head and hindneck, with orange legs. Bill quite long, pink with white nail. Adult has a large white area surrounding the base of bill, and black bars on underparts. Juvenile warmer brownish, lacks white forehead and black bars on underparts, forehead and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Larger than Redshank with long, green (sometimes yellow-green) legs, fairly long, stout, slightly upturned bill and mainly grey and white plumage. Flight action slow and jerky with rather long, uniform, dark wings contrasting with paler head and neck, and conspicuous white tail and wedge up back, similar to much smaller, slimmer and paler Marsh Sandpiper; […]

Kingdom : Beetles, Insects, Leaf beetles

Insect follows Chrysomelidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is between 4-6 mm, red grey and has fluff. It attacks Acacia tree seeds, and may cause harm to seed stocks. In some countries, it attacks Tamarind trees.

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

A large gull. Heavily built with deep bill, long legs, heavy breast and long wing projection. Adult a dark ash-grey with orange yellow legs, usually with dark brownish eyes. Bill has large gonys-spot and variable blackish subterminal band. In winter sparse streaking on hindneck. Adult a shade of dark ash-grey with orange-yellow legs and usually […]

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

The smallest in size of the Gull group with long very dark black wings and mantle. Legs are bright yellow with a small white mirror spot on wingtip when flying. Distinguished from other gulls by dark brown tertials, white tail and rump, tail base with spotted or barred black and white beard. Lives in coastal […]

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

Similar to Steppe Gull with large white head. Comes to Qatar as winter visitor to coastal areas. Smaller than the Heuglin’s Gull, but more paler in colour with long bill and upright stance and distinctive blank facial expression, sloping rounded head and dark eyes. In flight has less of black and large all white wing […]

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

Medium-small gull, told (except from Slender-billed) by broad white leading edge of primaries, contrasting below with dark grey remaining primaries. In summer, has dark brown hood; in winter, head white with black spot on ear-coverts and, often, vague bar from eye over crown and from ear-covers over nape. See Slender-billed for separation. Juvenile and 1st […]

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

Very large gull. Distinctive adult identified in summer by large black hood, large orange-yellow bill with black band near tip and white primaries with black band near wing-tip. In winter, has large dusky patch behind eye; white eye-crescents present in all ages. Juvenile and 1st winter told from other young large gulls by unmarked white […]

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

Medium-sized gull with wing pattern almost identical to Black-headed, but head completely white in summer when breast often has rosy tinge. Larger than Black-headed with different build; bill distinctly longer, forehead rather sloping with longer upper mandible feathering accentuating length of bill, giving ‘snoutish’ effect. Legs longer (stands higher); when relaxed breast more bulky but […]

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

Looks very much like the Caspian Gull in size and plumage, including the beak and wings particularly when flying or standing on ground or inside water. Categorized as winter visitor and can be found in all coastal areas of Qatar.

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

Typically larger in size compared to Lesser Black-backed Gull, with upright stance. Categorized in Qatar as passage migrant & winter visitor on most coastal areas. Looks like Caspian and Steppe Gulls in plumage but more darker. Wings greyer and colour of legs vary from pale purple to yellow creating difficulty in identification. Bill is usually […]

Kingdom : Birds, Gull

Distinctive, medium-sized gull with dark sooty brown hood and ‘bib’, dark grey-brown upperparts and wings, dark flanks and underwings (white trailing edge) and narrow white half-collar. Long, thick, straight bill distinctly bi-coloured at all ages (in adult yellow-green with black band near red tip; in young pale blue-grey with black tip). Narrow white crescent above […]

Kingdom : Birds, Goose

The largest goose in the region. Thick neck with heavy, pink bill, greyish head and neck and pink legs. In flight, shows distinctive, pale forewing. Upperparts more greyish than other grey geese, belly has small, black blotches, not forming bars. Juvenile simiar to adult but lacks transverse lines on upperparts and dark belly marks.

Kingdom : Birds, Harrier

Smaller, slimmer and slightly narrower-winged than Marsh, with similar flight, but male more buoyant. Male has clear-cut white uppertail-coverts, uniform pale blue-grey upperparts, head and upper breast, rest of under surface white but wing-tip black (both surfaces). 2nd autumn male can show black wedge on wing-rip like male Pallid (as result of primary-moult). Female and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Harrier

Slender build, narrower, longer more pointed wings, longer narrower tail and more buoyant flight helps separation from Hen Harrier. In adult, rear-body slimmer than in Pallid. Male has dark grey back and innerwing, silvery grey outerwing but extensive black wing-tips; one black band on secondaries above and two below; red-brown streaks below dark grey upperbreast. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Harrier

Flight and proportions almost identical to Montagu’s. Male pale grey above without clear-cut white rump; whitish head and undersurface with black wedge on wing-tip. Female separated from similar Montagu’s by pale, dark-streaked collar (like female Hen Harrier; virtually absent in Montagu’s), less spacing between dark bands on secondaries below, with pale bands becoming darker towards […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

Stocky, about half the size of the Grey Heron and most active at dusk. Adult’s grey plumage with black back and crown are unmistakable. The brownish juvenile is prominently spotted with white on back and coverts. This feature identifies it from the other brown heron-types, notably the larger Bittern. By the second year the spotting […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

Very large with long legs and heavy bill. Resembles Purple Heron in plumage but is twice the size. Distinctive features of adult are rich chestnut head and hindneck, bluish grey upperparts and rich chestnut underparts and underwing coverts. Told from Purple Heron by large size, stouter head and neck, lack of any black on crown, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

A large heron with long neck and legs and powerful bill. Grey upperparts and white underparts and neck. Adult has characteristic black crest and markings down front of neck. Juvenile has darker grey or browner upperparts and crown with rest of plumage white. Bill yellowish and legs brownish yellow in adult. Juveniles have browner bill […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

Slightly smaller and much darker than Grey Heron, with angular snake-like neck. Adult dark grey with black belly, chestnut on neck edged with black streak, black crown and line across cheeks. Bill a dull yellow. Juvenile has sandy brown upper-parts and hindneck with diffuse dark streaking on neck and blackish crown. In flight has a […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

Small, rather dark, thick-set heron. Adult has black crown with long nape-plumes , bluish grey upperparts, buff-fringed coverts and greyish neck and underparts, with a marked facial pattern. Legs are rosy, yellowish or pink. Immature brownish with white spots on tips of wing coverts, brown and white streaked upper breast and yellowish green legs. In […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

White, dark and intermediate phases occur.White phase similar to Little Egret but less elegant with thicker bill. Bill pale brown to yellowish usually with reddish flush in breeding season. Legs brownish green. Dark phase is slate-grey with white chin and throat and occasionally a few white flight feathers. Juvenile in white-phase often has grey feathers, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Has long, scythe-like, pointed wings (recalling a large swift) and relatively short tail. In adult, combination of dark slate-grey upperparts, uniform tail, contrast between prominent moustache and white cheeks/throat, densely streaked underparts with red thighs and undertail-coverts, and shape and length of wings and tail separate it from Merlin and Kestrel. Juvenile browner above with […]

Kingdom : Flies, House flies or Stable flies, Insects

Insect follows Muscidae family, and Diptera order. They are of the most widespread insects around the world and exist in all areas of planet earth, and may transfer dangerous infections. Size is between 5-8 mm, thorax is grey with four dark vertical lines on back. Hair covers whole body, and it has a pair of […]

Kingdom : Birds, Hypocolius

In shape resembles a slim Grey Shrike but with longer tail. Soft blue-grey plumage with black eye-mask joining over nape and black-tipped tail; primaries black (but barely showing so at rest) with pure white tips, prominent in flight. Female and immature rather featureless creamy brown (but with well demarcated creamy throat), lacking black on head […]

Kingdom : Birds, Kite

Size of a large Kestrel, but appears larger in flight. Easily identified by combination of black primaries on white under surface and large black patch on forewing, in otherwise pale grey upper surface with a whitish tail. Juvenile darker and dirtier above with thin white line on greater coverts. Well protruding, broad head, shortish tail […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

A large knot of stocky build, tapering at rear. In winter plumage (when most likely to be seen in the region) told by long, decurved bill with heavy base, large greyish spots on underparts, faint supercilium (caused by more extensive greyish lores) and obvious tail pattern. White rump/ uppertail-coverts contrasting with dark upperparts and tail; […]

Kingdom : Birds, Cuckoo

Unmistakable cuckoo-like bird with relatively thick bill, short wings and rather long tail. Male black with bluish gloss and bright yellow bill. Female has drab brawn upperparts, thinly streaked and spotted white; whitish throat heavily streaked dark brown, rest of underparts densely barred with dark brown and buff; dark tail with many thin whitish bars. […]

Kingdom : Beetles, Darkling beetles, Insects

Insect follows Tenebrionidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is between 15-18 mm, and has grey colour.

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

A large heavy-billed lark with a short tail and longish wings. Has a contrasting head pattern with large yellowish bill, black patches on lower throat, and a white superciium. In flight has dull grey-brown underwing with no white trailing edge; has white-tipped tail while outer feathers are buff-brown.

Kingdom : Birds, Martin

Broad-winged, almost square-tailed, largely brown martin. Dark brown upperparts lacking greyish tinge to rump; cheeks fairly dark usually contrasting with pale throat and underparts; fine spots on chin and throat can be hard to see; underparts buffish grey becoming darker towards tail-coverts without contrast; white spots in spread tail distinctive; underwing-coverts distinctly darker than flight-feathers […]

Kingdom : Birds, Martin

A small pale grey martin. Upperparts, especially back and rump, appear slightly greyer than wings; underparts almost white including chin, merging into pale mouse-grey undertail-coverts; less contrasting head pattern though ear-coverts sometimes darker than crown; white spots in spread tail distinctly visible when flying overhead or from above. Underwing pale grey with brownish-grey coverts. Flight […]

Kingdom : Birds, Martin

Small, dull brown and white martin distinguished by white underparts sharply broken by brown breast band and slightly long and deeply forked tail. Juvenile has scaly buff upperparts. It has a fluttering flight action.

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Smallest falcon in the region; has short pointed wings and relatively long tail, speedy flight with fast wing-beats, interspersed with short quick glides. Male told by blue-grey upperparts with blackish primaries, broad black tail-band and ill-defined head pattern. Female and juvenile are brownish above, creamy below with dark streaks, diffuse moustache, barred primaries above and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Hen

A dark waterhen with prominent red bill and shield, white flank line and constantly flirting tail, exhibiting white undertail-coverts both when walking and swimming. Swims with vigorous nodding movements and body stooped forward unlike Coot. Juvenile paler, grey-brown with dark bill, and distinguished from young Coot by white flank line and undertail pattern. Swims often […]

Kingdom : Birds, Nightingale

Easily confused with Thrush Nightingale. But this species is paler and closer to grey brown colour with pale streaks on chest. Tail colour is rusty brown and eye ring is pale. Found in areas rich in trees and bushes, particulary lin town/city gardens and also in semi desert areas with plenty of shade cover.

Kingdom : Birds, Nightjar

The most patterned nightjar in the region and also the most widely encountered. The distinguishing features are the dark-streaked grey crown contrasting with rich brown cheeks and throat, and grey upperparts with broad bands of dark brown and buff on the scapulars and rows of buff bands on the coverts. Male has white spots in […]

Kingdom : Birds, Owl

Medium-sized, strikingly pale owl, both when perched and in flight with white underparts (suffused ochreous on breast), heart-shaped face with black eyes and ochreous-buff upperparts. No other owl looks similar but note that when seen in car head-lights at night, most owls can look pale.

Kingdom : Birds, Owl

Small ‘eared’ owl; very similar to and difficult to distinguish from Pallid Scops Owl. Rather large-headed with small ear-tufts (head often just looks angular); brown-grey or rufous-brown with paler face and dark surround to yellow eyes. Plumage above streaked, barred and vermiculated black-brown; sides of crown, ears and shoulder distinctly white- or buff-spotted; underparts streaked, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Owl

Small owl with round, flat-crowned head and long legs; often sits in the open in daytime on buildings or telegraph-poles. Distinctly white-spotted crown and nape and white-blotched upperparts and wings; boldly streaked underparts; eyes yellow, framed white. Flight deeply undulating (alternating rapid flapping with closing of wings) unlike straighter flight of the scops owls. If […]

Kingdom : Beetles, Darkling beetles, Insects

Insect follows Tenebrionidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is 10 mm, and has grey colour.

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

A small, elegant wader which swims high on water, often spinning to whirl up food items, which will be taken with needle-thin, black bill. Unmistakable in breeding plumage with striking head and neck pattern. In winter plumage upperparts are ash-grey with white lines and fringes, black mask through eye and black on hind-crown conspicuous. Juvenile […]

Kingdom : Birds, Duck

Large, very slim and elegant dabbling duck. Long neck and tail obvious in flight with more pointed wings than other dabbling ducks. Male unmistakable white neck and underparts, grey upperparts contrasting with dark head and tail and dark slender bill. Female similar similar to other female dabbling ducks, but note dark bill, greyer plumage and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Pipit

Large robust pipit. Separated from sandier, smaller, adult Tawny by longer tail, legs and bill, very upright stance, prominently dark-streaked grey-brown upperparts, streaked breast and characteristic call. More undulating flight and longer tail give more wagtail-like flight than Tawny. Frequently hovers just before landing. On ground wags tail less frequently than Tawny.

Kingdom : Beetles, Darkling beetles, Insects

Insect follows Tenebrionidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is 7 mm, and has grey colour.

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Medium-sized greyish wader with bright red legs, in flight showing white barring on tail, and broad, brilliant white trailing edge to wings. Breeding adult heavily dark-spotted, with red base of bill. Winter plumage uniform grey above, paler grey underparts with ill-defined spotted breast, mostly recalling Spotted Redshank (which see). Juvenile buff-spotted upperparts and all-dark bill […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Medium-sized, rather slim wader; in winter plumage with red legs mostly recalling Redshank, but larger, cooler grey upperparts, white underparts, and longer finer bill, slightly drooping at tip; flight pattern differs markedly. In breeding plumage unmistakable: almost black, fine-spotted white above with long, blackish red legs and bill. In flight, shows dark tail and wings […]

Kingdom : Birds, Robin

Size and movements recall Nightingale: strikingly coloured male identified by black sides of face and head framing pure white centre of throat, rusty red underparts, blue-grey upperparts, black tail and whitish supercilium. Grey-brown female has dark brown tail, ochreous-buff sides of body, whitish throat bordered grey-buff at sides of head and breast, Generally shy and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Unstreaked grey-brown with a broad white streak where secondaries meet the tertials. It has a long primary projection, short dark tail with a white tip( seen in flight), strong pale bill, translucent looking brownish orange legs, sandy white underparts, 2 whitish wing-bars and a prominent dark eye in a pale face. In flight the long […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Slightly larger than Dunlin with shorter, straighter bill. In winter, easily told by very pale plumage with often a dark mark at bend of wing. In summer and juvenile plumage more confusable with other small waders, particularly stints, especially if comparison is not possible. In summer plumage (often shown on spring passage), can be quite […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Easily distinguished by call and contrasting black and white flight pattern. Shy and often well hidden, first seen when flushed. Rather broad black wings above and below contrasting sharply with white belly, and white rump; looks cut off at rear. When standing, blackish upperparts and breast contrast with clear white belly and flanks. Juvenile darker, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Resembles small edition of Greenshank (body size smaller than Redshank’s), but legs proportionally longer, bill straight, thin and fine-pointed and neck slimmer, face almost white, usually with distinctive supercilium; flight pattern also similar to Greenshank’s with dark wings, contrasting white tail and wedge up back, pale head and white underparts; protruding legs distinctive beyond tip […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

When standing easily distinguished by grey head and upperparts bordered by dark shoulder bar, carpal-patch and primary-line; white, deep-chested underparts and long, yellow-based, upcurved, rather pointed bill are striking features; the short legs and neck, horizontal carriage, dark breast side and bobbing rear body reminiscent of Common Sandpiper, but orange-yellow legs and bill shape differ […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

In flight, resembles Green (which see) with dark upperparts, head and wings and contrasting white rump; differs in whitish (not black) underwing-coverts, longer feet-projection (does not look cut off at rear) and characteristic call. When perched, adult shows brown upperparts boldly speckled whitish, conspicuous long supercilium, and rather long, yellowish legs; general appearance is a […]

Kingdom : Beetles, Insects, Leaf beetles

Insect follows Chrysomelidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is between 4-6 mm, and is dark red with grey. Larvas feed on green or dry seeds of plants. In Africa, it is used in biological control to get rid of harmful grasses.

Kingdom : Birds, Shrike

A pale shrike, little longer than the Red-backed Shrike. In the strain breeding in Iran (i.e. phoenicuroides), male has blackish mask on face and a white mirror on primaries’ base. In isabellinus male, face mask is less delineated, and there is hardly a white mirror in wings. All strains contain yellowish white lower parts, and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Shrike

It resembles Southern Grey Shrike, but smaller with stubbier bill, longer wings with long primary projection and shorter, less graduated tail. The white wing panel is confined to primaries. Adult forehead is extensively black, and without the white supercilium(it exists in some Southern Grey Shrikes), the bluish grey upper parts lack white on shoulders (sometimes […]

Kingdom : Birds, Shrike

Male is unmistakable, with reddish brown mantle and wings coverts contrasting to the grey top of head and rump, black facial mask and black tail with white sides to base. Females are warm brown above, tail darker brown, whitish underparts with dense crescent barring on breast and flank. Compare to similar Daurian Shrike. Juvenile has […]

Kingdom : Birds, Shrike

Upright, grey with black and white markings. Perches boldly on top of bush shrubs or other prominent perch. It resembles Lesser Grey Shrike but is distinguished in all cases by larger size, the longer bill and the relatively short wings (with very short primary projection). Wing bar often longer, tail also longer and more graduated. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Shrike

Compared with the Southern Grey Shrike, its colour is more pale particularly the bill and the area between the bill and the eyes, and also the crown. It is difficult to tell them apart from other shrikes. Usually it swoops on its prey, like big insects and rodents, and spikes them on thorns to feed […]

Kingdom : Beetles, Insects, Weevils (snout beetles)

Insect follows Curculionidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is between 4-7 mm, and has grey colour. Adults feed on leaves especially peas and clover, whereas larvas feed on roots and root knots.

Kingdom : Birds, Skua

Wing-span as for Common Gull. Adult in summer has elongated pointed central tail-feathers (6–11 cm). Two phases (with frequent intermediates); see Pomarine for separation. Juvenile variable, from pale to very dark birds; ground-colour generally warmer, more rusty than young Pomarine, which see for further details. Told, with experience, from young Long-tailed by broader wings, slightly […]

Kingdom : Birds, Skua

Body size of Black-headed Gull but wing-span close to Arctic Skua. Resembles pale and rather grey Arctic but told by elongated, long, flexible central tail-feathers (16–24 cm), lack of breast band, white forebody, gradually darkening towards rear, smaller white primary-patch above, pale greyish upperparts contrasting with blackish secondaries and, largely, pale blue-grey legs. Juvenile variable […]

Kingdom : Birds, Skua

Larger size, heavier build and in adult, elongated broad and twisted central tail-feathers separate it from Arctic. Two phases: all-dark (scarce) and a pale phase, which differs from Arctic in more extensive black cap, darker flanks, blacker breast band (sometimes absent), vent and upperparts. In winter, flanks and tail-coverts barred, elongated tail-feathers often short and […]

Kingdom : Beetles, Insects, Weevils (snout beetles)

Insect follows Curculionidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is between 10.5-17 mm, grey colour and covered with yellow hair. Larvas dig inside plant stems, whereas adults feed on flowers and leaves.

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

A common wide-spread sparrow. Male has a grey crown, chestnut brown sides to head, pale greyish cheeks, large black bib on chest and grey rump. Mantle and wing coverts are rufous-chestnut brown with a broad white wing bar on median coverts. Female and juvenile lack contrasting head and throat pattern, being buffish brown above, boldly […]

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Plumage is olive grey brown. The long bill with strong base is black in breeding male, but rose brown in female and juvenile male. Male has a yellow spot on lower throat, surrounded by olive-grey breast band and lower cheeks, with whitish upper throat. Lesser coverts are chestnut, median coverts form broad white wing bar. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Hawk

Female much larger than male, approaching male Goshawk, but wing-beats faster and lighter; rear-body thinner; wing-tips blunter; tail thinner, longer and more square-cut and head protrudes less. Series of quick wing-beats interspersed with short descending glides (stronger, straighter glides in Goshawk). Adult dark ash-grey above, barred rufous or brown below (rufous most in male); dark […]

Kingdom : Birds, Hawk

Similar to Eursian Sparrowhawk in plumage, but longer, narrower, less curved wings have more pointed tip, giving falcon-like appearance when gliding (separating also from blunt-winged Sparrowhawk). Male dull blue-grey above with blackish wing-tip and plain central tail-feathers; female browner, less contrasting and closed uppertail has dark band near tip. From below, male has white underwing […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Jun. Status: Introduced. Rare. Not in other Gulf areas. Habitat & distribution: Cultivated fields; N Qatar. Uses: The plant is used in the treatment of diabetes, rabies and other diseases and medical conditions; the leaves have diuretic properties. Poisoning of cattle from the plant has been reported (Rizk & El-Ghazaly).

Kingdom : Flora, Shrub

Growth form: Shrublet or small shrub. Flowering. Feb–Apr. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional on compact soils at Ras Laffan and other coastal areas in the NE (John Norton, Mohammed Al Safran).

Kingdom : Insects, Moths and Butterflies, Owlet moths

Insect follows Noctuidae family, and Lepidoptera order. It is grey-brown; wing is 36-50 mm long. Larvas feed on gramineous plant leaves in fields and farms.

Kingdom : Birds, Swift

Shape and behaviour much like Common and Pallid Swift, but much larger with remarkably slower and deeper wing-beats; brown upperparts and white underparts broken by brown breast band, vent and undertail-coverts.

Kingdom : Birds, Swift

Almost uniform sooty in fresh plumage, but brownish and more contrasting in worn plumage, though much depending on light conditions. Round whitish throat-patch variable, sometimes almost invisible; lacks contrast above but underparts show clearly paler inner flight-feathers than body and wing-coverts; deep tail-fork. Easily confused with Pallid, but note especially overall colour-tone, throat-patch, head pattern, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Swift

Slightly bulkier than Common Swift with broader, less tapering outerwing and sometimes blunter wing-tips; tail-fork variable but slightly shallower with less pointed tips; head looks broad and flat with larger, more triangular, whitish throat-patch; forehead and lores paler, contrasting with dark eye-patch. Overall colour brownish; with good views rather distinct scaling is visible in underparts […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Medium-sized slender tern with dark grey-brown upperparts (sometimes appearing blackish), blackish wings and black bill and legs; has narrow white forehead-band extending behind eye as narrow supercilium line, black cap contrasting with pale grey hindneck-collar (often hard to see in flight); long outer feathers of deeply forked tail have white sides. Whitish underparts and underwing-coverts […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Resembles Sandwich Tern but has shorter, thicker, gull-like all black bill and, in adult, shallower forked tail; lacks short crest of Sandwich Tern and has whitish grey rump and tail (only slightly paler than mantle, white in Sandwich); lacks contrast shown by Sandwich between dark outer and pale inner primaries above; outer primaries have distinct […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Medium-sized tern with very pale grey upperparts and wings, long slender black bill tipped yellow (latter hard to see at distance), long narrow wings, medium-short forked tail and fairly long extended neck in flight, which is powerful with deep wing-beats. In summer, black cap has short crest; in winter, black confined to nape extending forward […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Slightly larger than Little and Saunder’s terns with slightly longer, broader wings, slightly more forked tail (adult), longer legs and heavier bill; flight buoyant and restless. It both snatches and dives for food. Adult in summer has uniform pale grey upper surface (including rump and tail); sooty grey underparts contrasting with whitish cheek-stripe and underwings. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Slightly smaller than Common Tern with shorter wings, slightly shorter legs but with fairly long bill. A dark tern, in breeding plumage it is easy to identify with its black cap, white cheeks, dark grey wings and light underparts. Bill colour varies from almost all red to almost all black.The legs are a dark brownish-red. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Martin

Smaller than Whiskered with clearly shorter, thinner bill and more buoyant flight. Adult in summer identified by solid black body and underwing-coverts contrasting with greyish white flight-feathers below, white tail and upperwing. In winter, underparts white, upperparts pale grey; rump and tail white; a few show some black marks on underwing- coverts, making identification easier. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Thrush

Similar to Black-throated Thrush, but with brown reddish throat and tail tips rusty, red colour. Prefers to live in a habitat where lots of trees and bushes prevail, particularly in gardens, parks and cultivated areas. Reported in Qatar as a vagrant bird.

Kingdom : Beetles, Darkling beetles, Insects

Insect follows Tenebrionidae family, and Coleoptera order. Size is between 20-25 mm, and has grey colour.

Kingdom : Birds, Wagtail

Male unmistakable; N Russian race, citreola, has bright yellow head and underparts, black neck-band and grey upperparts; S central Asian calcarata has black mantle while W central Asian, werae, has no (or reduced) black neck-band and less rich yellow underparts; 2 broad pure white wing-bars characteristic at all ages. Female told from Yellow also by […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wagtail

In all plumages has characteristic yellow vent and undertail-coverts, greyish back, no obvious covert-bars but bold white translucent bar at base of flight-feathers (visible in flight), very long tail and extremely undulating flight. Male in summer has black throat bordered by white stripe below; female has less black or even whitish throat; immature has white […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wagtail

In male, head colour differs, depending on race, of which eight have been recorded in the region. Racial variation is given below: flava: blue-grey crown and ear-coverts; long white supercilium; chin and sometimes sides of throat white. thunbergi: dark grey crown, with no sharp demarcation to upperparts but contrasting with very dark grey ear-coverts, usually […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A large warbler. Adults have concentric barring on underparts, and a yellowish iris. A long tail with white corners when spread upon landing. Tips of greater coverts and tertials are whitish. Some dark barring on undertail coverts. Usually keeps hidden in bushes. Movements are rather heavy.

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Size and shape of a European Reed Warbler, having a flat crown and long bill. However, Olivaceous Warbler is more grayish with a square-ended or little slightly rounded tail and shorter under tail coverts. It can mostly be mistaken with the Greater and greyer Upcher’s Warbler.Upper parts olive brown, tinged greyish on head and mantle. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A largish warbler with a long with grey crown contrasting poorly with black ish ear coverts. Adult male has yellowish or dark coloured muddy iris. Females brownish, similar to Lesser Whitethroat.

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A uniform grey-brown warbler, with a square-ended tail, and a short, relatively heavy bill, rounded head, greyish sides to neck and lacking any white in tail or wings. Most of the other warbler species have thinner, longer bills. Keeps well hidden in vegetation.

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

It is mostly confusable with Yellow-browed Warbler (and may be undistinguishable) but is generally greyer, with less yellow green appearance. A more greyish olive colour, with a more buffish white supercilium. It has 2 pale wing bars, the upper one short and sometimes invisible, the lower one distinct. Underparts dusky white, tinged buffish on ear […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A small short tailed warbler. Male has black forehead and ear coverts, with grey crown and brown grey mantle, wings with sandy feather-fringes and black alula. Females and juveniles are a pale sandy brown. In fresh plumage showwhite moustachial stripe, contrasting with pinkish-white throat and breast. Eye ring varies from salmon pink to red. Bill […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

The smallest warbler lacking any obvious markings. Similar to Chiffchaff, with upperparts pale brownish-grey, tinged olive. Indistinct pale to cream supercilium, narrow white eye-ring, dusky lores and and eye-stripe, and buff flecked ear-coverts. Underparts off-white, washed creamy on flanks. Legs and bill dark brown. Very active, constantly flicking wings, or seen in whirring and jerky […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Similar to Eastern Olivaceous Warbler but is larger, with a proportionally longer, much darker sooty brown tail. Upper parts are greyer in fresh plumage, with darker wings and pale pale edges to tertials and secondaries, forming an obvious wing panel. Head is rounder from Eastern Olivaceous Warbler but with similar markings, although the paler supercilium […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Medium sized warbler. Rather yellow in plumage, with olive upperparts, darker, pale-edged flight feathers and tertials, with yellow-white underparts and supercilium. Legs and bill variable, usually pale brown or orange. It has a longer primary projection than Chiffchaff. Differs from Chiffchaff with brighter, more yellow and green appearance, longer, broader supercilium, contrasting yellow throat and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Hen

Slightly smaller and slimmer than Moorhen with longer neck and bill. Distinctive slaty brown and white, with rufous-chestnut vent and undertail-coverts, and yellowish green bill and feet; in breeding season reddish base to upper mandible; the crimson eye set in white face is very conspicuous. Juvenile has white face obscured by slate-brown. Skulking but sometimes […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Relatively short-tailed wheatear with white rump and sides of tail; blackish terminal tail-band of even width. Male told by combination of ash-grey crown and back, white supercilium, thin black eye-stripe and black ear-coverts and wings. See Isabelline for separation from female/1st winter Northern Wheatear. Female Northern Wheatear is greyer brown than similar Black-eared/Pied; 1st autumn […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Slender, medium-sized wheatear. Male of race xanthoprymna (E Turkey, NW Iran) has black throat, sides of head and neck merging with blackish brown leading wing-coverts, rufous rump but white sides to tail; black band at tip of tail narrow (larger male Red-rumped almost black-tailed); little white in wings. Female usually lacks black throat but rump […]

Kingdom : Birds, Whitethroat

A middle-sized warbler resembles Lesser Whitethroat, but differs in having chestnut fringes to coverts and secondaries. Tail is slightly longer, legs are orange and eye ring is white. Females and 1st winter birds birds lack the grey wash present in males, with dark iris (not orange). Similar to Lesser Whitethroat but can always be identified […]

Kingdom : Birds, Whitethroat

Slightly smaller than Lesser Whitethroat with smaller bill, and paler washed out plumage. Upperparts grey-buff or sandy brown with pale edgings to wing feathers. Buffish grey crown and darkish ear-coverts. (paler than Lesser or Hume’s) Underparts clean sandy white with white throat. More active than other whitethroats, frequently flicking tail.

Kingdom : Birds, Whitethroat

Slightly larger than Lesser Whitethroat. Has a rather large head, with stouter bill and darker plumage. Dark grey crown merges into dull grey-brown back and near black ear-covverts, creating greater contrast with white throat.

Kingdom : Birds, Whitethroat

A small to medium sized warbler. Genearally grey-brown above with browner wings, medium -grey crown and darker ear coverts, which often vary in prominence. Has a white throat with a contrasting dusky-washed breast. Differs from Common Whitethroat in abcense of rusty fringes to wing feathers. It has dark ear-coverts and dark legs. Ist year birds […]

Kingdom : Birds, Duck

Medium sized rather rufous duck with short neck, rounded, steep forehead and small grey bill, tipped black. Looks to have a high rear end when seen on water. Has a white belly patch, obvious in flight and when on land. Adult male has creamy yellow forehead and forecrown contrasting with chestnut head and neck, pinkish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wryneck

Its skulking behaviour and nightjar-like plumage often make it difficult to study in detail. Reminiscent of large long-tailed warbler or greyish female Red-backed Shrike when dropping into cover in low foliage, or slipping away in low, shallowly undulating flight. Often forages on ground close to cover. Distinctive features when seen well are pointed head/bill and […]