Kingdom : Avocet, Birds

Rather large, slender and pied wader with mainly white appearance; at distance flocks on water somewhat recalling small gulls. Black crown and hindneck and long, thin upcurved bill are distinctive features; in flight, shows white wings with prominent black markings; from below pure white with black wing-tips and long trailing greyish blue legs. Flight is […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Perennial herb. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Introduced. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional or frequent in lawns, gardens and other cultivated areas. Uses: The plant is poisonous if eaten in any quantity (Rizk & El-Ghazaly); roots and leaves are used as an anti-haemorhagic (Ghazanfar).

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Feb–Apr. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional to locally frequent in shallow, often somewhat compact, sand; particularly in sandy or gravelly depressions. Uses: Phillips quotes Dickson (1955) reporting that the seeds of the plant were used by the Bedu of Kuwait […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr–May. Status: Introduced. Also recorded: Kuwait, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Cultivated areas. Uses: Used in the Middle East for centuries as a treatment for particular skin diseases (Rizk & El- Ghazaly).

Kingdom : Birds, Bittern

More often heard than seen. Smaller than the Grey Heron, with stocky neck and entirely dark brown and golden buff streaked plumage which provides excellent camouflage. Juvenile Little Bittern is similar in plumage but is very much smaller. Juvenile Night Heron is smaller and shows white spots on wings. Juvenile Purple Heron lacks streaks on […]

Kingdom : Birds, Bittern

Smallest type of heron. Identified by tiny size and, at all ages, conspicuous pale covert-panels contrasting with black flight feathers and dark back. Female resembles male but duller with more rufous tinge and buff streaks on underparts. Juvenile more boldly streaked buff and brown with duller, streaked covert panels. Most often seen in flight, when […]

Kingdom : Birds, Robin

Size and shape resembles Robin but slimmer, longer legged and generally more skulking. Pale, broad supercilium distinctive, and diagnostic rust-red tail-base obvious in flight or when perched with cocked tail. Striking features in breeding male are blue chin and throat framed below by black and rusty; depending on race the throat spot is red, white […]

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

Bulky grey-brown bunting with fairly large head, large conical bill and no white in tail. Underparts heavily streaked, some have irregular black spot on breast, often with pale submoustachial stripe and variable ill-defined malar streak. Heavy fluttering flight, legs often dangling, lacks white on trailing edge of wings of Skylark with which it can be […]

Kingdom : Birds, Bunting

Medium -small bunting with longish bill and much rufous in plumage. Male unmistakable with black head broken by bold white supercilium and nape spot, bright red nape merging on sides of neck with rusty breast band. Flanks with extensive rusty streaks, rump rusty red. Female has less blackish head with paler median crown-streak and ear […]

Kingdom : Birds, Bunting

Small rufous coloured bunting with orange-yellow lower mandible, and rufous edged outer tail feathers, and thin streaks on upperparts and wing coverts. Male has a dark ash-grey and white striped head, throat and upper breast with steel-grey and black speckles. Upperparts, wing coverts, lower breast and belly are bright rufous. Female duller with much more […]

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, Buzzards and Falcons

Similar to Steppe Buzzard but tail longer and narrower with rounded corners. Head and neck narrower, protruding in cuckoo-like manner. Wing beats moe flexible.Soars on flatish, and glides on slightly lowered wings. Male has greyish head and upperparts, female browner. Below, colour varies between birds from blackish brown to almost white. Most are barred with […]

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

Size of Black Kite with long wings and tail, kinked wing position when gliding and flexible wing-beats; soars on highly raised wings. Wide plumage variation: creamy white, rufous-brown and blackish forms on account of colour on body and underwing-coverts. The blackish form can show coarse dark bars on flight- and tail-feathers. Many Long-legged (except dark […]

Kingdom : Birds, Buzzards and Falcons

The main race that occurs in the region is the highly migratory Steppe Buzzard, B. b. vulpinus, which is slightly smaller with narrower, more pointed wings and longer tail compared with Western European birds of the race B. b. buteo, which are rare.Three types occur: fox-red, grey-brown and blackish (scarce); intermediates are frequent. Fox-red and […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Rare. Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: A weed of gardens and other irrigated, cultivated areas. Uses: Rizk & El-Ghazaly list numerous medicinal uses.

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 : Birds, Hen

Unmistakable. Sooty black with white bill and frontal shield; hunchbacked appearance on water. Upright stance on long green-grey legs and long lobed feet when out of water. Flight is stronger and heavier than other rails, more duck-like, on rounded wings and with long pattering run across water before take-off. Note long toes trail behind tail-tip. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Cormorant

Large waterbird with a powerful bill, swims low in the water and often perches with wings outstretched. In breeding plumage glossy black with white feathering on nape and neck and white thigh patch. Adults in winter retain white chin and throat patch unlike the Socotra cormorant. Juveniles browner with brownish-white or dirty white underparts. or […]

Kingdom : Birds, Cormorant

Slightly smaller than the Great Cormorant, it has a slimmer head and neck. Adult has sooty black plumage with bronze green wings and back, and without white face and chin patch of Great Cormorant. Bill is much slimmer than that of Great Cormorant and appears paler against dark head. In breeding plumage, more glossy and […]

Kingdom : Bugs, Insects, Plant bugs

Insect follows Miridae family, and Hemiptera order. Size is between 8-10 mm, and is black and white colour. It feeds by sucking on plants.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr–May. Status: Native. Rare. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia. Habitat & distribution: El Amin recorded it near Al Khor. Uses: El Amin remarks that the white fibres are used as cotton stuffings.

Kingdom : Birds, Crake

A small-headed, round-bodied crake, much shorter and a little smaller than Water Rail, and slightly bigger than Little Crake. Otherwise similar to Little, but heavily white-spotted plumage. Short, red-based, yellow bill; flanks and vent strongly barred black and white, but has buff undertail-coverts (barred in Little), latter visible, when walking with tail cocked. Juvenile lacks […]

Kingdom : Insects, Moths and Butterflies, Tiger moths

Insect follows Arctiidae family, and Hemiptera order. It has white with black and red spots, and wing is 30-42 mm. Butterfly flies during daylight. Larva feed on Al Ramram plant (Heliotropium bacciferum). It breeds more than once in a year.

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, Cuckoo

Size of Common Cuckoo and easily told by distinctive black and white plumage, long graduated tail and crest; conspicuous white wing-patch in flight (unlike any other cuckoo). A rarer black form occurs (which also shows white in wing). Juvenile is sooty above with dirty white underparts and small crest.

Kingdom : Grass moths, Insects, Moths and Butterflies

Insect follows Crambidae family, and Lepidoptera order. Wings colour is white with dark brown marks. Wing is 30 mm long. Butterfly is diurnal. Larvas feed on Hodgsonia male plants (marrow). Pest causes great harm to marrow plant. The insect breeds more than once a year.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr. Status: Introduced. Rare. Not in other Gulf areas. Habitat & distribution: Previously recorded by Batanouny from farms in N and C Qatar. Uses: A number of medicinal properties are listed by Rizk & El-Ghazaly.

Kingdom : Flora, Shrub

Growth form: Shrub. Flowering. Jan–Apr. Status: Native. Very common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Frequent to locally dominant, in sandy and silty depressions, runnels, wadis and on rocky slopes. Stunted specimens have been recorded in saline habitats. Often grows with stands of Acacia and Ziziphus trees. Uses: Grazed by […]

Kingdom : Beetles, Ground beetles, Insects

Beetle follows Carabidae family, and Coleoptera order. It is big-sized (between 35-40 mm) black beetle, with white spots. It is a predator for other kinds of insects, and moves fast.

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Rather dark, brownish plover recalling non-breeding European Golden in general outline, but smaller; additionally white or buffish supercilia, meeting in a ‘V’ on nape, and narrow white or pale upper breast band are distinctive features in all plumages. Adult breeding female (male duller) has striking white supercilium and throat contrasting with blackish cap and greyish […]

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, Duck

Slightly smaller than Tufted Duck, shape of head close to that of Pochard. No crest but higher crown than Tufted Duck. It has a flatter sloping forehead and longer dark grey bill with black nail when compared with Tufted Duck. Male is rich chestnut brown with white eye, sharply defined pure white undertail coverts and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Duck

In flight it resembles a small female Pintail, having a fairly long neck, wings and tail. On water it is identified by pale plumage, dappled dark and cream with dark oval patch around the eye in otherwise pale head with long black bill. Head appears large and rounded with steep forehead and, in adult, a […]

Kingdom : Birds, Duck

Small diving duck with roundish head but fairly steep forehead. Crest at nape, long and drooping in male, minute in female. Bill blue-grey. Male is black and white with black upperparts and purple green head. Female and eclipse male have brownish sides to body, female sometimes with whitish band around base of bill. In rapid […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Often one of the commonest shorebirds, larger than the Stints, but slightly smaller than Curlew Sandpiper. Longer bill than Stints is slightly down-curved. In summer plumage easily told by black belly-patch. In winter, this patch is lost as are rufous tones to upperparts, then has grey upperparts with narrow pale fringes to coverts and scapulars, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Eagle

Two phases. Size of Buzzard, but outline and wing-position close to Black Kite; tail square-cut. More ample deep-fingered wings than Buzzard. Pale phase identified by creamy white underparts with contrasting blackish flight-feathers, kite-like band on innerwing above, pale scapulars and upper-tail-coverts and diagnostic small white spot at base of neck, seen on front-view. Dark phase […]

Kingdom : Birds, Eagle

A difficult species. Adult dark brown below, flight-feathers similarly dark or a shade paler; leading underwing-coverts sometimes blackish brown on upper surface, mid to dark brown coverts sometimes contrast with darker mantle; no conspicuous pale primary-patch above. Juvenile is blackish brown below with paler flight-feathers; blackish brown upperwing has 1–3 white covert-bars, often creating pale […]

Kingdom : Birds, Eagle

Large long-winged Eagle with very pale underparts, square-cut tail with three evenly spaced dark bands and a broad head. Whitish underparts variably spotted and barred, some nearly all whitish, others with contrasting dark head and upper breast. Staring bright yellow eyes and broad head, flattened on top give it a rather owl-like appearance. Flies with […]

Kingdom : Birds, Eagle

Dark brown adult has variably coloured underwing-coverts, either similar to body or paler; underwing uniform, or with paler or darker flight-feathers with well spaced broad dark bars and clear-cut band on trailing edge (pattern sometimes diffuse); large dark carpal-patch typical, except in darkest birds. From above, coverts often palest part of wing; usually large, dark-barred, […]

Kingdom : Insects, Moths and Butterflies, Snout moths

Insect follows Pyralidae family, and Lepidoptera order. Wing is white, with brown spots. Wing is about 17-23 mm long. Larvas attack eggplants. Early hitting causes shoot tips of plant and plant decay. But in advanced stages, larvas dig tutus in eggplants that become unmerchantable.

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

A graceful, all-white egret, which in adult plumage has a black bill and black legs with yellow feet. Immature birds have brownish green legs and pinkish base to lower mandible. May be confused with white phase of Western Reef Heron. (see that species) Larger than Cattle Egret, also lacks buffish wash to plumage and bill […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

A small, white meadow-dwelling heron, usually seen in flocks, and frequently associates with cattle. It differs from Little Egret by stockier build, shorter pale bill, neck and legs, extended “jowl” under bill and faster flight. Also in breeding season orange-buff wash on crown, back and breast, and reddish bill. Usually seen feeding in flocks or […]

Kingdom : Birds, Egrets and Herons

The largest white heron with long, angular neck often stretched to full extent. Adult in breeding plumage told by large size, scapular plumes, black bill with yellow base and black legs, yellowish above joint. In winter bill is yellow and lower legs blackish green or brownish. Sedate in flight and on the ground.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Perennial herb. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia, UAE. habitat & distribution: Occasional, on compact stony and gravelly soils; mainly in C Qatar; rare in the west. El Amin recorded along the road from Al Sheehaniyah (where it still common) to Dukhan; it also occurs along the road to […]

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

Largest falcon of the region with wing-span of female Buzzard. Like Lanner in outline, but larger, and heavier-chested. Separated from Lanner by combination of whitish crown (sometimes confined to nape), unbarred Kestrel-like contrast above, less distinctly barred uppertail, poorly developed moustache and less contrasting head pattern (diffuse dark eye-stripe, no dark forehead-band); whitish supercilium often […]

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Pale greyish buff finch with striking wing pattern and short black bill. Flight feathers mostly black with white edges and pink panel on coverts and base of secondaries. Male has black lores and bill base. Female drabber with less pink, black and white in wing, and lacks black face-patch. Juvenile has straw coloured, dark tipped […]

Kingdom : Birds, Flamingo

Flamingos are unmistakable large, long-legged, long-necked pinkish wading birds with characteristic bill-shape. The white plumage of the adults gradually acquires a pink hue and red wing-coverts. Juveniles which are smaller than adults, are greyish with brown markings.

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 black and white coloured flycatcher. Male has a white half-collar onto sides of black neck, a large white spot at base of primaries, white on sides of tail, and white tipped median coverts. White on wing and forehead also present. Females more grey in colour.

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 : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Perennial herb. Flowering. May–Jun. Status: Introduced. Rare. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: A weed of wet places. Uses: Sometimes cultivated as ground cover in parts of the Gulf. A wide variety of medical uses are known (Rizk & El-Ghazaly).

Kingdom : Birds, Duck

Small, Teal sized dabbling duck. Male has unmistakable broad, white stripe above eye to hindneck, black mottled breast contrasting with grey sides and white belly. In flight, striking blue-grey forewing contrasts with dark head, breast and upperparts. Female similr to female Teal, but longer bill and more contrasting dark and light head-stripes widening in front […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Not known. Status: Introduced. Local. Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: A weed of moist ground in cultivated areas. Notes: The record of P. equisetiformis by Obeid (1975) reported by Batanouny, a Mediteranean species, is probably referable to this species (see Miller & Cope 1996, p. 129) […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Frequent in dried out saline areas, such as the edges of irrigated fields and along beaches, on compacted sand or other soils; mainly NE Qatar.

Kingdom : Flora, Grass

Growth form: Perennial grass. Flowering. Apr. Status: Native. Rare. Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Recorded by Batanouny from Al Wabrah. Uses: Used for fodder (El Amin).

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr. Status: Introduced. Rare. Not in other Gulf areas. Habitat & distribution: A weed of gardens in Doha.

Kingdom : Birds, Godwit

Resembles Black-tailed (which see) especially on ground in non-breeding plumage, bur note more compact, less erect appearance with shorter legs and neck, and slightly upturned bill. In flight, easily separated in all plumages by lack of distinct wing and tail markings typical of Black-tailed. Male in breeding plumage has deep rusty red head and entire […]

Kingdom : Birds, Godwit

Large, graceful wader with long bill and legs and diagnostic, contrasting flight pattern. On ground, most similar to Bar-tailed, but slightly larger and more erect due to longer legs and neck; bill slightly longer and straighter. In summer plumage, both sexes have varying amount of rusty red on head, neck and fore-body with diffuse, dark […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Feb–Apr. Status: Introduced. Rare. First published record: Abdel Bari (1997). Also recorded: UAE. Habitat & distribution: Details not noted by Abdel Bari, but recorded from wadis and plantations in the UAE (Jongbloed).

Kingdom : Birds, Goose

Smallest duck to occur in the region. Short-neck, and short, stubby, goose-like bill, round body with high rear end on water. Male unmistakable with white head, neck and underparts with black cap, eye and band across white breast. Black back with greenish and purple gloss. Female is a drabber version of the male. Flight is […]

Kingdom : Birds, Goose

Slightly larger than a Ruddy Shelduck, has black flight feathers , green speculum and striking white forewing and underwing coverts. Otherwise brownish buff, with variable brownish or greyish upperparts, pale fore-neck and face with prominent dark eye patch, dark collar and belly patch. Legs are long and pink.

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, Grebe

The biggest Grebe in the region. Swims while keeping its long body low, with its graceful, long white neck held upright. During flight it keeps the neck extended and feet under the line of the body. It has a large white patch on the secondaries, white border to front of underwing and on shoulders along […]

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 : 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 : Flora, Shrub

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Oct–Nov. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Coastal areas, including Umm Bab, Salwa and Al Khor.

Kingdom : Flora, Shrub

Growth form: Small shrub. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Introduced. Rare. Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia. Habitat & distribution: Recorded by Batanouny from roadside runnel at Al-Amiriyah and on waste land near irrigation. Uses: An infusion of the leaves is drunk for respiratory and intestinal ailments and the fruits are used in the treatment of gastric ulcers […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Parasitic herb. Flowering. Not known. Status: Introduced. Rare. First published record: Abdel Bari (1997). Not in other Gulf areas. Habitat & distribution: Abdel Bari records it as a ‘common parasite on ornamental annuals.

Kingdom : Flora, Grass

Growth form: Perennial grass. Flowering. Apr. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional to locally abundant in sandy depressions and runnels; mainly SW Qatar, including Al Karaanah. Uses: Good fodder (El Amin).

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual or biennial herb. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Introduced. Common. Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional in irrigated places, including gardens. Uses: Grazed by animals (El Amin), but widely known to have toxic effects on livestock. Used to treat rheumatic pain and various other medical conditions and has narcotic action […]

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 : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr–May. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional in sandy areas; W and S Qatar. Notes: L. glinoides and L. schimperi were formerly regarded as distinct species, and are probably best amalgamated, but not all authors agree.

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

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

A small heron which in adult breeding plumage is a delicate golden buff with a purple sheen on mantle and long streaked nape-plumes. The bill has a greenish blue base. Nape-plumes lost in winter when neck becomes streaked and bill has yellowish base. Juvenile is brownish buff with streaked neck and upper breastmaking it well […]

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 : Birds, Hoopoe

Distinctive pinkish buff with bold black and white bars on wings and tail, long black-tipped crest, usually depressed (though raised upon landing), long decurved bill and distinctive flight with flaps of broad wings. Spends much time on the ground where hard to detect; often first noticed when it flies.

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Large, slender lark, easily identified by its long decurved bill, rather long pale legs, long tail and, in flight, bold black and white bands through wings. Upperparts unstreaked sandy grey-buff, underparts whitish, often spotted black on breast; whitish supercilium, dark eye and malar-stripe. Juvenile spotted on mantle but almost without breast-spots; bill less decurved. Speedy […]

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, Ibis

Unmistakable with black and white plumage, long black scapulars drooping over rear end and long, decurved bill. Juvenile has mottled head and neck. In flight, shows diagnostic black line on rear edge of wings. Rather heavy in flight with longish neck outstretched and legs protruding beyond tail.

Kingdom : Birds, Crake

Rail-like and mostly seen walking on floating vegetation on very long toes. Adult breeding has long black down-curved tail, chocolate-brown body, striking head marks with white face and fore-neck, golden-yellow hindneck, edged black; white wings with black tips are very conspicuous in flight. In non-breeding plumage tail is short, underparts turn white, but a dark […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Perennial herb. Flowering. Apr–May. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Stony runnels and silty soils; C and N Qatar. Occasional at Ras Laffan (John Norton) and mentioned for Jebel Fuwairit by earlier authors. Uses: Many reputed medicinal uses, e.g. for fevers and cholera (El Amin), […]

Kingdom : Birds, Kestrel

Long, narrow, fairly pointed wings, long rounded or tapering tail, shallow loose wing-beats, persistent hovering and rufous upperparts, contrasting with darker flight-feathers, characteristic. Compared to Lesser, male has black spots on back and wing-coverts (absent in male Lesser), lacks blue-grey greater upper-wing-coverts, has different head-pattern and underwing. Female has dark bars on red-brown upperparts; some […]

Kingdom : Birds, Kestrel

Very similar to Kestrel and not always separable. Slightly smaller and slimmer, with slightly narrower wings, slightly shorter, more wedge-shaped tail and quicker wing-beats. Male is unmarked rufous above but greater coverts often blue-grey (hard to see). Whole head ash-grey without moustache or pale area on cheeks. From below, white underwing contrasts with dark wing-tip […]

Kingdom : Birds, Kingfisher

Small kingfisher with brilliant blue and green upperparts, reddish underparts, but buffish white throat and neck patch and long, dark bill, though female has red on most of lower mandible. In flight, which is swift, direct and low over water, luminous back and tail obvious. Fairly shy, often inconspicuous when perched, sitting on branch over […]

Kingdom : Birds, Kingfisher

Large and unmistakable, the only black and white kingfisher, frequently seen hovering well above water before plunging for fish. White underparts have two more or less complete black breast bands in male and one in female. Black eye-mask, white supercilium, blackish top of head with short crest at nape; white tail has black band at […]

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 : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Unmistakable with long up-turned crest and greenish upperparts; in flight, broad rounded wings show no wing-bar. In winter upperparts have narrow pale scaling to feathers. Often in large flocks outside breeding season.

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Rather large, colourful plover; easily identified by long bright yellow legs, black head and centre of breast, white ear-coverts, side of neck and breast-side; eye-ring and wattle in front of eye is red. Flight is light with slow wing-beats and shows similar wing pattern to Spur-winged and White-tailed, but tail has black subterminal band with […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Lapwing-sized, with more upright stance, especially when alert. In breeding plumage easily told by long white supercilium, joining on nape, black crown and chestnut-black belly. In winter, loses belly-patch, becomes mottled on breast and supercilium is less distinct (but white forehead usually quite prominent). Juvenile, which is browner than adult, has buffish wash to forehead […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Elegant, long-legged plover, mainly sandy brown above, black head and underparts and contrasting white cheeks and sides of neck. In flight, tri-coloured: conspicuous white band between black flight-feathers and sandy wing-coverts; broad black tail-band; from below black belly and flight feathers contrast with white underwing-coverts. Flight action rather jerky. Juvenile similar to adult. Differs from […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Typical lapwing size, told by plain head (accentuating dark eye), long yellow legs (which protrude in flight) and, in flight, all-white tail; juvenile paler on neck and breast, dark-mottled on upperparts with dark cap and faint brown tip to tail. Slender and graceful on ground, often with neck held erect. When feeding, tips down so […]

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 : Flora, Shrub

Growth form: Small shrub. Flowering. Dec–Jun. Status: Native. Rare. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: A species of coastal, slightly saline sand. Recorded from NW Qatar by Batanouny.

Kingdom : Birds, Martin

Smaller than Barn Swallow with black and white appearance; easily recognised by bluish black upperparts with striking white rump and all white underparts; short, forked black tail with white undertail-coverts and rather dark underwings. Juvenile duller with brownish wash on head and breast sides. Flight more fluttering than Barn Swallow with long glides often high […]

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 : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Perennial herb. Flowering. Mar–May. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Locally abundant in silty depressions in C Qatar. Uses: Eaten as salad or cooked with rice to add flavour (El Amin, Jongbloed et al.). Used as a purgative in Bahrain (Rizk & El-Ghazaly).

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, Starling

Plumage is deep brown, with a yellow bill and small yellow bare patch below the eye. In flight it shows a conspicuous large white patch across primary bases, on outer underwing-coverts and on tail corners. Walks on ground with an upright, strutting motion. A noisy bird.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Feb–Mar. Status: Native. Very common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional to frequent in sandy habitats. Uses: Said to be ‘palatable grazing’ by Batanouny, although El Amin says it is grazed by animals but not much liked because of the bristly fruit. Notes: A […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Perennial herb. Flowering. Mar–May. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional on compact saline soils around the coasts; especially N Qatar. Recorded from Ras Laffan (John Norton), just west of Doha (Renee Richer) and is common at Al Zubarah (Renee Richer). Uses: In Bahrain, the […]

Kingdom : Birds, Nightingale

Very similar to Thrush Nightingale but more russet-brown upper-parts, paler, rusty red tail, and often more conspicuous whiter eye-ring; underparts more ‘clean’, lacking mottled impression on breast and flanks. The central Asian race hafizi, which migrates through the eastern part of the region, shows pale fringes to the tertials and greater coverts, paler underparts and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Nightingale

Dark olivaceous grey-brown, resembling small thrush, with rusty red tail and pale underparts, whitish throat and eye-ring, Very similar to Nightingale but darker brown upperparts, duller rusty red tail and darker brownish grey breast and flanks indistinctly mottled when seen well at close range; best distinguished by rather far-carrying song. Very skulking.

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, Eagle

Easily told by long, narrow wings, distinctly angled when gliding, white under-surface with black carpals and band through centre of underwing, white crown and dark eye-mask. Variable dusky band across fore-neck (usually boldest in female). Juvenile has whitish scales and white line on greater coverts above. Flies with very steady shallow wing-beats, glides on smoothly […]

Kingdom : Birds, Ostrich

Huge, flightless bird with long bare legs and neck. Male has blackish plumage with white wings and tail. (can be chestnut) Females and immature birds grey brown. 60 – 80kg. Introduced into Qatar.

Kingdom : Birds, Thrush

Resembles Blackbird but instantly told by white breast-crescent and pale fringes to wing feathers which give “frosty-winged” appearance in flight.Female dark brown with obscure buffish breast-crescent, pale fringes to wing feathers and to feathers of underparts, giving scaly appearance. Fairly shy but will sit prominently in open.

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 : Birds, Owl

Unmistakable when perched and seen well, with long ear-tufts (though sometimes invisible when relaxed); facial disc noticeably warm buff with striking white divide and orange eyes. Flight has jerky, fairly stiff wing-beats with glides on level (sometimes slightly raised) wings. The wings are long and slightly curved with a dark carpal-patch above with orange base […]

Kingdom : Birds, Owl

Resembles Long-eared, but occurs in open ground (Long-eared mostly seen among trees). Flies with slow, elegant and high wing-beats on long, slender wings raised during glides in shallow ‘V’ (shorter wings with shallower, faster wing-beats in Long-eared); often sits on ground and very short ear-tufts not always visible. Further differs from Long-eared in paler greyish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Oyster-catcher

Large unmistakable black and white wader with long, red bill and rather short, red-pink legs (adult). Flight is strong, direct and duck-like and shows conspicuous white wing-bar, white rump and terminal black tail band; non-breeding adult has white neck collar and duller bill-tip. Juvenile and immature have duller black upperparts, dark tip to bill, greyish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Pelican

Huge bird with a large wingspan. Beak shape makes it easy to differentiate from other birds. Adult is white with contrasting solid black flight feathers. Flight consists of slow wingbeats followed by a glide.

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 : Insects, Moths and Butterflies, Whites, Yellows, or Sulphurs

Insect follows Pieridae family, and Lepidoptera order. Wing is white and black from ends. Wing is about 45-60 mm long. Larvas attack plants of Capparaceae, causing great economic harm to cabbages.

Kingdom : Birds, Pipit

Adult plumage has variable amount of reddish or pinkish buff on face, throat and upper breast. Plumage varies during summer and first winter regarding throat and breast colour, streaked rumps, flanks and stripes. Found in grassland, cultivated lands and marshes near water. Categorized in Qatar as passage migrant and winter visitor.

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

A slim and delicate plover mostly recalling sand plovers (which see) in size and general appearance, but separated by long attenuated body, with wings projecting well beyond tail-tip, when perched; proportionally longer legs, long neck and smaller head with rather fine tapering bill; broader white supercilium gives a ‘capped’ effect. Male breeding shows distinct blackish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Dunlin-sized plover with orange legs and bill-base, strong black breast band and white hindneck collar; in flight, shows conspicuous white wing-bar, note also characteristic call. In adult non-breeding black is replaced by dark grey-brown, supercilium and forehead are tinged brown, and bill is nearly black. Juvenile similar to adult non-breeding, but is paler and duller, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Long-legged pied wader with large head and straight massive bill. Adult breeding has black mantle, white head and neck and distinctive black spot around eye; adult winter and immature have dark streaks on crown and nape. Juvenile shows streaking on rear crown, silvery grey mantle, scapulars and tail, and at distance could be mistaken for […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Has heavy, short-necked and pot-bellied appearance, comparatively short legs and bill, white underwing coverts and axillaries. Adult breeding is strikingly coloured black, white and golden; very contrasting in flight from below with white underwings and black belly; feet do not extend beyond tip of tail. Flight pattern above is rather uniform, dark brown spotted golden […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Resembles larger version of Lesser Sand (which see for further details), and isolated individuals can be almost impossible to separate. Note especially: larger size (obviously larger than Ringed); longer, more pointed bill, and larger, more angular head and big eye; sometimes reminiscent in shape of much larger Grey Plover; longer, usually yellowish green legs (especially […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Large, rather robust-looking plover, bigger than European Golden, with heavier head and longer, stouter bill; lacks obvious yellow or greenish tones in upper-parts, except for faint yellow-buff tinge in juvenile. Black axillaries diagnostic in all plumages in flight (most obvious and contrasting in juvenile and non-breeding). Adult breeding recalls European Golden, but more white on […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Small, sandy plover with white underparts, rather long, blackish legs, conspicuous white hindneck-collar and never complete breast band, in flight, a clear, white wing-bar and broad, white sides to tail. Adult breeding male has variable, rufous cap, black frontal bar, and lateral black breast-patches. Breeding female, adult non-breeding and juvenile are much duller, lacking black […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Very similar to Greater Sand in all plumages, behaviour and general outline, and isolated individuals can be impossible to distinguish. Best separated by: size (body only slightly larger than Ringed, Greater Sand distinctly larger); shorter bill, less pointed, more swollen at tip (but overlap with Greater Sand occurs in western birds); head looks smaller, more […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Small, slim and long-winged plover; horizontal stance when perched. In breeding plumage similar to Ringed Plover, but breast band narrower and lacks white wing-bar in flight; note also yellow orbital ring, dark bill, white line behind black forecrown, and muddy coloured or pinkish legs. Adult non-breeding and juvenile have almost plain brown forehead with ill-defined […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lapwings and Plovers

Very similar to and easily confused with slightly bigger European Golden in all plumages. Best separated by generally slimmer structure, voice and underwing. Compared with European Golden, wings often (but not always) protrude 1-2 cm beyond tail-tip (most obvious in adult), bill is finer and longer, legs are clearly longer, particularly thighs, making it appear […]

Kingdom : Birds, Duck

Sloping forehead leading into long bill is characteristic. No crest present. Male has chestnut head and neck, contrasting with black breast and pale grey body. Black bill has has pale grey band in centre. Eclipse male resembles female but greyer above. Female fairly nondescript with dullish brown head and breast, chin and eye-stripe paler, dark […]

Kingdom : Birds, Duck

Plump, Mallard sized, diving duck, but often behaving as a surface feeder, sitting high on the water. Male diagnostic with large red head and paler erectile crest, red bill, black breast and white flanks. Eclipse male resembles female but with red bill. Female drab brown with pale grey cheeks contrasting with dark crown. Dark bill […]

Kingdom : Birds, Pratincole

Structure and behaviour as Collared (which see); difficult to distinguish between the two. Adult slightly darker above than Collared, with no contrast between flight-feathers and coverts, lacks white trailing edge to secondaries, and underwing-coverts are jet black (but reddish brown in Collared can be hard to see, often appearing dark), tail fork shallower; when perched […]

Kingdom : Birds, Pratincole

Distinctive, highly aerial wader, resembling terns in graceful fast flight, long pointed wings, deeply forked tail and short bill. Usually in loose flocks chasing winged insects. On ground, plover-like with quick tripping actions on rather short legs, often with upright stance, head held high. Adult has creamy buff throat bordered black; tail and wing-tips are […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Small, plain, pale grey and buff warbler with long graduated tail, which is frequently raised. Streaked on crown, mantle and back. Round head, pale face and prominent eye. Tail dark above, pale below with black and white tips. Underparts off-white and streaked. Bill fine, black in breeding male, brown in female. Active and tame, raely […]

Kingdom : Birds, Quail

Common, but highly secretive; more often heard than seen, and very hard to flush. In flight size of Starling; rather pointed narrow wings, fast shallow wing-beats, plain wings and striped back; creeps on ground and is a rather compact, very short-tailed gamebird, with noticeably pale buffish white under-body, streaked flanks, and dark- and yellow-striped upperparts. […]

Kingdom : Flora, Grass

Growth form: Annual grass. Flowering. Apr. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Frequent to abundant in damp, sandy places; especially at the edges of irrigation channels and freshwater lagoons. Tolerant of low levels of salinity.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Feb–Apr. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional in silty and sandy depressions in C and N Qatar. Uses: The plant has various medicinal properties.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr. Status: Native. Rare. Not in other Gulf areras. Habitat & distribution: Recorded on the road from Doha to N Qatar near Umm Slal Mohammed by Batanouny.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional on gravelly or sandy areas. Prevously recorded for N Qatar, but also found in the south. Uses: Medicinal uses are similar to those recorded for H. bacciferum.

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, Redstart

Size of Common Redstart. Brightly coloured male told from other redstarts by broad longitudinal white patch on wing-coverts (including primary-coverts), rusty red mantle and most of underparts, including throat; crown to hindneck whitish grey, black sides of head extends to shoulder. In winter both adult and 1st winter male (which has also white in wing) […]

Kingdom : Birds, Robin

Similar in size and shape to Rufous Scrub Robin but with longer tail. Appearance unmistakable: entirely sooty black plumage with browner wings and prominent white tips to undertail-coverts and outer tail-feathers (obviously visible from below, when tail is swept upwards over back and fanned). Skulking or close to cover, often on ground but sings from […]

Kingdom : Birds, Robin

Unmistakable brown chat with diagnostic orange-red face and breast; plump body, large dark eyes and short wings. Juvenile, which lacks red breast, is brown, distinctly spotted buff above and below, (attains adult plumage by end of summer). Usually hops close to ground in shadow (but often sings from high perch). Upright stance, rather tame and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Robin

Skulking behaviour similar to Nightingale but slightly smaller and slimmer, and showing rather long, fan-shaped, often cocked, tail. Upperparts grey-brown, contrasting with rufous rump and tail, the latter showing prominent black subterminal-band and white tips (broadening at sides), obvious above and below. Head distinctive with white supercilium contrasting with blackish eye-stripe. Juvenile has faintly mottled […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual or biennial herb. Flowering. Feb–Apr. Status: Introduced. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: A weed in gardens and other cultivated areas. Uses: Eaten in salads. The whole plant is considered an aphrodisiac and considered a cure for a wide range of medical conditions, including inflammations, ulcers, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Finch with a fairly stout bill, stocky body and round head. Adult male easily told by red head, breast and rump contrasting with brown upperparts, Females, 1st year males and juveniles are dull olive-brown, lightly streaked above and more heavily streaked below, with 2 whitish or buffish wing-bars. Uniform head shows conspicuous dark eye. Often […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Resembles Redshank, but often stands more upright with longer neck, smaller head and proportionally short slightly drooping bill; often looks hump-backed and pot-bellied; female noticeably smaller than male (and smaller than Redshank). Flight lazy on rather broad wings deeply depressed on downstroke, sometimes interrupted with glides, especially before landing; flight pattern shows narrow, dull wing-bar […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Mar–Sep. Status: Introduced. Rare. First published record: Abdel Bari (1997). Also recorded: Kuwait. Habitat & distribution: Recorded from Doha.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Apr–May. Status: Introduced. Common. Also recorded: Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: A frequent weed of cultivated and irrigated areas. Uses: Various medicinal uses have been documented.

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

Slightly smaller than Dunlin, from which told in all plumages by longer bill which is broad-based with downward droop near tip, shorter yellowish grey legs and double supercilium, especially noticeable in breeding plumage. In breeding plumage rather dark upperparts with white ‘V’ on mantle and white line on scapulars and white underparts with noticeable dark-spotted […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Short-legged wader with almost uniform brown upperparts, clean white underparts running up in a wedge between wing and breast side; rather long tail projecting far beyond wing-tips; short neck, horizontal stance, deep chest and constantly bobbing rear-body are also conspicuous features (though shared with Terek, which see). Additionally, has a unique flight action low over […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Told from Dunlin in all plumages by white rump, longer, more decurved bill and longer legs, giving it a more elegant appearance. Easily told in breeding plumage by chestnut-red face and underparts (often with white feather-fringes). In winter, plain grey above, white below with a light suffusion to breast sides and noticeable white supercilium; then […]

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 : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Recorded by El Amin in N Qatar.

Kingdom : Flora, Grass

Growth form: Annual grass. Flowering. Apr. Status: Introduced. Common. Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia. Habitat & distribution: Recorded from gardens and cultivated lands. Uses: Used for fodder (El Amin).

Kingdom : Birds, Goose

A large, mainly white, goose-like duck. Black head and green gloss, broad chestnut belt around forepart of body and black belly-stripe with a prominent red bill. In flight, shows black flight feathers contrasting strongly with white upper and underwing coverts and black shoulders. Flight is goose like with slow wing beats.

Kingdom : Birds, Goose

Short necked, small billed, goose like duck with orange chestnut body and paler cinnamon-buff head. Black flight feathers with green speculum, striking white forewing and underwing coverts, and a black bill and legs. In flight told from other ducks and geese by size, striking black and white wing pattern, and orange-chestnut body.

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

It is smaller and slimmer than the Woodchat Shrike, has a finer bill and longer tail. Adult is unmistakablewith black upper parts and mask (female duller, browish-grey) with white face. Flanks are washed orange with a distinctive white shoulder patch. Pale wing patch is noticeable in flight. Juvenile similar to juvenile Woodchat Shrike but 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 : Birds, Shrike

Comes to Qatar as winter visitor. Darker in colour compared to other Shrikes, with long black line extending from end of the black bill to behind the eye. Tail is long and reddish and wings in flight have distinctive white spot. Legs are slim and black. Chest and underparts white. Has the ability to dash […]

Kingdom : Birds, Shrike

Striking rufous-brown crown and nape in adult with large white shoulder patch on black upperparts.. Female is duller with more white/buff at base of bill and lower back and rump only slightly greyer than mantle. Juvenile and first winter birds resemble Red-backed Shrike counterparts, but upper parts of Woodchat Shrike are pale grey brown with […]

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Small brown and whitish finch-type with large conical silver-grey bill, prominent eye and pointed black tail. Juvenile has pale edgings to wing feathers. Fairly tame and often in small groups, sitting close when perched, with tail waving and flicking. Light flight with small undulations.

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Small, finely built finch. Male yellowish green with black forehead and chin, broad yellow wing-bar, sides of tail and rump, particularly obvious in flight. Female olive-brown above, white below with a tinge of yellowish green which, together with yellow in wings, tail and rump identity it. Lacks black on head of male. Back and flanks […]

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 : Flora, Grass

Growth form: Annual grass. Flowering. Apr. Status: Introduced. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: A weed species of cultivated areas. Uses: Used for fodder (El Amin).

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Resembles House Sparrow, but male has typically rufous brown crown and larger bib, extending to bold black streaks on breast and flanks. Back is boldly streaked black, marging at sides with black of breast. Cheeks are whitish, and the belly is white. It is not easy to distinguish female and juvenile from House Sparrow counterparts. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Small stocky lark with stout, deep-based, pale blue-grey bill with curved culmen. Male unmistakable with bold black and white head pattern, black underparts and underwing-coverts. Female has unstreaked pale sandy grey upperparts, faintly streaked crown, pale face and hindneck, pale buff underparts, faintly streaked across upper breast; blackish underwing-coverts always separate it from other small […]

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 : Birds, Spoonbill

Heron-sized with all white plumage, characteristic black spatulate bill with yellow tip and black legs. Adult has nape plumes and yellowish neck band, which are lost in winter. Immature has dull flesh-coloured bill and legs and black wing-tips. In flight, neck extended and wing beats fastand shallow, interspersed with short glides.

Kingdom : Insects, Moths and Butterflies, Tuft moths

Insect follows Nolidae family, and Lepidoptera order. It is white and green; wing is 17-23 mm long. This butterfly is a dangerous pest for okra plant. Female lays oviparous on okra; larvas penetrate, feed on it and become unmerchantable.

Kingdom : Birds, Stilt

Unmistakable. Exceptionally long, red legs and rather slim black and white body; walks with high, graceful carriage. In flight, white with uniform black wings and noticeable trailing legs. Head and neck pattern varies from pure white to dusky grey. Female has slightly browner mantle and scapulars. Non-breeding adults have dusky head- and neck marks. Juvenile […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Often the commonest small sandpipers on passage and in winter in the region. In summer plumage, colour on face, neck, breast and scapulars varies from dull orange to warm buff: always shows a pale ‘V’ on mantle and dark centre to crown; in this plumage confusion with Sanderling possible but note small size of Little […]

Kingdom : Birds, Sandpiper

Similar size to Little Stint but with more elongated body, shorter legs, which are yellowish grey in all plumages and white sides to tail (useful when flushed at short range). In summer, mainly grey-buff with dark centres to many scapulars, and lacking the rufous-orange tones of Little. In winter the dark scapulars are lost and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Stonechat

Looks similar to the Siberian Stonechat. Recorded in Qatar as a passage migrant and winter visitor. Female paler in colour than male which looks more whitish, with dark breast and throat.

Kingdom : Birds, Chat

Small, short-tailed, rounded head perching semi upright; flicks tail quite often. Jet black male unmistakable with white belly, rump and narrow shoulder patch; white patterns above easily seen in low jerky flight. Female has unstreaked sooty earth-brown upperparts and breast, creamy belly and rufous-orange rump; some are rusty brown on breast and have slight supercilium.

Kingdom : Birds, Stonechat

It is similar in appearance to the European Stonechat. The male neck is more whitish and underparts less grayish compared to the European species. Generally, unstreaked orange to white rump, black tail is paler. Longer primary projection much whiter in sides of tail base.

Kingdom : Birds, Stork

A glossy black stork with white lower underparts. Adult has red bill and legs, whereas browner, less glossy juvenile has greyish green bill and legs.

Kingdom : Birds, Stork

Easily told both on ground and in flight by combination of large size, white plumage with black flight-feathers, straight red bill and long red legs. In flight , the neck is extended and legs protrude behind the end of the tail. Told from adult Yellow-billed Stork (vagrant to region) by straight red bill and all-white […]

Kingdom : Birds, Stork

Unmistakable in adult plumage with slightly drooping orange-yellow bill, bare red face and orange-red legs. Plumage resembles White Stork but tail is black (visible in flight) and mantle and tips of wing-coverts tinged pink. Subadults are sandy buff with some pink on underwing-coverts, a much duller bill and legs, and greyish to pale orange facial […]

Kingdom : Birds, Swallow

Easily distinguished by combination of bluish black upperparts (small white patches visible in tail when spread), long tail-streamers, chestnut forehead and throat, solid dark breast band and buffish white underparts including underwing-coverts. Juvenile lacks tail-streamers, has brownish breast band and wings and paler rusty forehead. Flight is strong and elegant with much banking and turning, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Swallow

Size, shape and bluish black upperparts much resembling Barn Swallow but easily distinguished by rufous collar and broad pale rufous rump; underparts, including underwing-coverts, buffish white, faintly streaked (hardly visible in flight); conspicuous black undertail-coverts striking when perched or in flight; lacks breast band and white in tail. Juvenile duller and browner with upperparts fringed […]

Kingdom : Birds, Swan

Large swan with a long neck, flattened forehead and bi-coloured bill. Bill black with yellow base extending in a wedge usually to below nostril or beyond.Walks well. Silent in flight, with powerful wingbeats with a flattened head profile.

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 : Flora, Grass

Growth form: Perennial grass. Flowering. Feb–Jul. Status: Native. Rare. First published record: Cope (2007). Also recorded: E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Seen only once recently, in W Qatar (S. Aspinall & John Norton, 2007), growing in compact, silty soil.

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

The largest tern identified by heavy red bill (can be seen at long distance), almost gull-like flight with slow steady wing-beats and by call; wings and back pale grey, under surface white with distinctive dark primaries below. Juvenile has more orangy bill, more extensive black cap to below eye (unlike adult), weak dark scales on […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Adult birds in spring are easy to identify from their red bill with black tip, black cap and red legs, which remain red throughout the year. The tail does not extend beyond the wing tips of standing birds. Immature birds are difficult to distinguish from immature White-cheeked terns. The Common Tern has a whitish rump, […]

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

Size of Sandwich Tern but resembles Swift Tern more closely in plumage. Has long slim orange-yellow bill, pale ash-grey upperparts with rump and tail paler grey. Slightly crested nape black as may be forehead for short period in summer, but forehead otherwise white. In winter, bill paler orange-yellow and solid black is confined to nape. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Easily identified from other terns (except Saunders’s) by small size, narrow wings with very fast beats both when hovering and in direct flight. Adult in summer pale grey above (extending onto centre of rump in some) with narrow grey-black leading (two) primaries and yellow bill tipped black; white forehead usually extends as white point to […]

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

Very difficult to separate from Little Tern in non-breeding plumage, particularly in Arabian Gulf, where intermediates between the two apparently occur. In breeding plumage there is a triangular white spot on the forehead. This is larger in Little Tern. In flight outer primaries tend to show more black than in Little Tern. Rump is more […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tern

Large slender tern, size between Sandwich and Caspian; adult best identified from Lesser Crested by longer, thicker, more drooping waxy yellow bill tinged greenish (slimmer, orange-yellow in Lesser Crested) and by much darker ashy grey upperparts; rump and tail paler grey than back. In summer, black crested cap always broken by white forehead-band (never black […]

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

A little smaller than blackbird. Male has a clear black bib, and prominent whitish underparts. Female has white throat streaked blackish, but lower border of black breast clear-cut, with upperparts browner. It is a shy bird with fast straight flight.

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 : Birds, Thrush

A little thrush that has black spots (not lines) on whitish underparts, is brown above with pale yellowish brown underwing- coverts. Flight is fast and straight.

Kingdom : Birds, Tit

A small bird, with a long tail and finely pointed bill, chestnut mantle and wing covets, blackish wings and tail feathers fringed white. Underparts are ochre to buff-white. Adult has black mask contrasting with pale grey crown and nape and white throat. Female is duller with smaller mask.

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Feb–Mar. Status: Native. Very common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional to frequent in sandy habitats. Not rare as noted by Batanouny, but only numerous after rains. Notes: Miller and Cope (1996, p. 219) distinguish two forms ‘A’ and ‘B’ in Arabia, of which […]

Kingdom : Birds, Tropicbird

Unlikely to be confused with any other sea bird in the Middle East. Plump-bodied, white with long white-tail streamers and red bill. White plumage is relieved by black eye-stripe, black outer primaries and narrow black barring on upperparts and coverts. Juvenile lacks tail streamers, has black-tipped tail, yellow bill and blackish collar. Flight is direct […]

Kingdom : Flora, Shrub

Growth form: Shrub. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Native. Very common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Frequent to abundant or sometimes dominant in sandy, often compacted soils, including coastal beach sand. Also in disturbed areas by roadsides and around towns and villages. Uses: Dried powdered leaves are used as a poultice […]

Kingdom : Birds, Turnstone

A medium-sized, stocky, short-billed and short-legged wader; easily distinguished in breeding plumage by striking head and breast markings, chestnut shoulder-patch and wing-coverts, and bright orange legs. Flight is strong and direct and shows distinctive pied and chestnut appearance, black breast is a striking feature. In winter and juvenile plumage, head and neck are much darker, […]

Kingdom : Flora, Shrub

Growth form: Small shrub. Flowering. Feb–Mar. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional to frequent on rocky substrates with shallow sand, or in silty and sandy depressions. Uses: Several authors note that the Flowering heads were formerly used by the bedouin for stuffing saddles, pillows and cushions. Used […]

Kingdom : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Mar–Apr. Status: Native. Very common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional to abundant in shallow sandy deposits, including runnels and small depressions. The plant is extremely common in the west (Renee Richer). Uses: Its use as a charm and herbal aid in childbirth is […]

Kingdom : Birds, Vulture

A small vulture, the size of an Eagle. Adult has white wedge shaped tail, white underparts with black flight feathers, small pointed head and thin bill. Colour pattern similar to pale phase Booted Eagle or White Stork but shape quite different. Juvenile is mid brown below, ruff blackish, dark brown above with creamy bars on […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wagtail

Easily told from other wagtails by grey, black and white plumage, with grey back contrasting with black nape (male) or crown (female), white face and ear-coverts contrasting sharply with black throat and breast. Juvenile, and especially winter birds, have whitish underparts broken by black breast band. NE Iranian race, personata, has black of head and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A small sandy grey -brown warbler, with relatively long tail and legs. Rufous-brown tertials rump and closed upper tail. The tail, when spread is dark brown, with much white on sides with a rufous centre.The fine bill is mostly yellow, with yellowish iris and legs. Sometimes there is a pale area around the eye. Spends […]

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

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

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, Warbler

Large warbler, with long wings and short tail. Vivid green upperparts, with long broad yellow supercilium, ear coverts, throat and upper breast. Contrasting white underparts. Yellow-fringed secondaries form pale panel contrasting with blackish, whitish fringed tertials. Black alula visible, with yellow lower bill and pale legs. Rather active high up in trees.

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Very similar to Hume’s Leaf Warbler. Brighter green upperparts, whiter underparts, very long, pronounced, yellow-white supercilium and 2 distinct yellow-white wing bars are main differences. The base of bill is also paler.

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

Behaviour and build much as Pied. Male of black-throated form can be confused with male Finsch’s; white-throated male only confusable with some ‘vittata’ forms of Pied. Black of throat/ear-coverts not joined with black of wings and shoulder; mantle whitish (summer) or buffish grey (autumn). Tail pattern as Pied. See Pied for separation between 1st autumn […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

When perched resembles stocky version of male Pied or male Eastern Pied (capistrata race). Readily identified from both in flight by prominent whitish panel in open wing; compared with Pied the black ‘bib’ is smaller, underparts white (tinged buff in Pied) and undertail-coverts rufous-buff; also primary coverts narrowly tipped white and black band near tip […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Heavier and stockier than Pied and Black-eared; male told from former by narrow buff-white stripe down mantle and back to join white rump; told from latter by larger black ‘bib’ broadly connected with black wings (beware of Black-eared with head sunk between shoulders); told from both also by terminal tail-band of even width (no black […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Large, slender, long-tailed and long-winged wheatear with long bill and buoyant, almost butterfly-like flight, recalling Spotted Flycatcher when catching prey, sometimes in long sallies. Distinctive male with black extending to centre of breast and, except for black central tail-feathers, nearly all-white tail with just black corners, provides easy identification. Autumn and juvenile male has whitish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Closely resembles the picata race of Eastern Pied, but is larger, with ‘bull-headed’ appearance and more upright stance. Black parts more glossy; black throat has slight side-extension and is thus less ‘bib-shaped than Eastern Pied; also white on back extends farther up between wings, where border to black mantle is rounded (square-cut in Eastern Pied); […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Male has a grey crown with a distinctive white supercilium. Ear coverts, throat and shoulder are black. Mantle is grey , underparts whitish with a rusty orange vent.. Female lacks black throat as in male. Tips of tail feathers are black with two white lines, and are a red broad colour extending towards birds’ body. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Slender, relatively long-tailed wheatear, often perching on bushes. told from Mourning by absence of white panel in open wing. Autumn male has black back and ‘bib’ fringed buffish, dark crown with buff-white supercilium, and buff underparts. Female sometimes like female Black-eared (of eastern race melanoleuca) but upperparts usually duller, cooler brown-grey; some show large dark […]

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, Wheatear

Three races occur; much individual variation among females. picaia: (breeds Iran) resembles Hume’s but black crown, upperparts and ‘bib’ almost without gloss; rest of underparts white, undertail-coverts sometimes buff in autumn. Female above usually brown where male black, ‘bib’ often rufous-brown but throat sometimes black; rest of underparts creamy buff to white. See Hume’s for […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Large, glossy black wheatear with black underparts down to legs, and, in many adults, white crown; immature and some adults have black crown, resembling smaller Eastern Pied (opistholeuca race) but size, longer bill and white sides of tail with black corners diagnostic (no black terminal-band). Some black-crowned birds show a few white feather-tips, these birds […]

Kingdom : Birds, Coursers and Whimbrels

Smaller, and slightly darker than Curlew, with faster wing-beats. Bill usually shorter and more decurved near the tip (though overlaps with young Curlew in length), dark crown with pale central stripe and dark eye-stripe give head more contrast than in other curlews; flight-pattern similar to larger Curlew and slightly smaller Bar-tailed Godwit (note bill-shape of […]

Kingdom : Birds, Chat

Small, short-tailed chat with less upright stance, slightly smaller head and longer primary projection than Stonechat. Told from Stonechat by combination of streaked brownish rump and white sides to base of tail; male also has bold, clear-cut white supercilium and white stripe between blackish sides of head and orangey throat; female duller with paler throat […]

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 : Flora, Herb

Growth form: Annual herb. Flowering. Not known. Status: Introduced. Rare. First published record: Abdel Bari (1997). Not in other Gulf areas. Habitat & distribution: Recorded at Al Sheehaniyah and Doha.

Kingdom : Flora, Grass

Growth form: Annual grass. Flowering. Feb–Mar. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional in fine soils in depressions, often under trees.

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 […]