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Articles – Arabian Wildlife Encyclopedia
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WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE IN SAUDI ARABIA

 AREA  PHYSICAL CHARACTER  MAIN FEATURES
Harrat al-Harrah

First national Park

Stony desert in north 8-10 larks breed here, large Sand Grouse numbers; Golden Eagle;

Long-Legged Buzzard; Merlin; Cream-coloured Courser; little owl.

Arabia’s last ostriches lived here, last seen 1930. Houbara Bustard

breeds here and over-winters. Sakers Falcon is passage migrant.

At-Tubayq

Nature Reserve

Raised sandstone platform. Very rough ground Nubian ibex live here. One of last sites for Arabian Ostrich.

Golden Eagle; courser; Long-legged Buzzard

Jabal al-Jawz Near Tabuk. Mountains over 2,000 metres. Includes Jabal Fayhan,

tallest mt. in northern Arabia.

Only site for the Chukar. Egyptian Vulture
Jabal Aja and

northern Hail

Managed and protected area

Granitic mountains, sandstone hills, and semi-desert area. Remarkably

green with flowering plants in spring. Pivot irrigation in some

areas.

An important site for Demoiselle Crane on migration. Egyptian

Vultures; Griffon Vultures; Sand Partridge; Yellow-vented Bulbul;

many raptors, impressive spring migration swifts, larks, wheatears.

Gulf Coral Islands

Managed and protected area

Harqus, Karan, Kurayn, Jana and Jurayd, all are low-lying coral

cays.

Arabian Gulf

Important for large populations of breeding terns, including Swift;

Lesser-crested; Bridled and White-cheeked. Also Socotra Cormorants

on Kurayn. Important Gulf nesting beaches for turtles.

Abu Ali  Low-lying islands and causeway forming peninsula north-east of

Jubail.

Arabian Gulf

Many terns, including Sandwich, Lesser-crested, White-cheeked,

and Saunder’s Little Tern. Wintering Great Cormorants. Breeding

Kentish Plovers. Resting site for migrants.

Al-Wajh Bank Islands off Al-Wajh and Umm Lajj.

Red Sea

Breeding Sooty Falcons, Crab Plovers, Sooty Gulls, White-eyed

Gull. Also terns, Ospreys, turtles and dugongs.

Al Ha’ir

Special Nature Reserve

Man-made river of treated effluent near Riyadh – in desert and

rocky landscape.

Major bird sanctuary. Important species include Marbled Teal,

Imperial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Night Heron, Little Egret, Grey

Heron, Ferruginous Duck and Black-winged Stilt.

Hima al-Fiqrah

Traditional protected area

Accessible mountain west of Al-Madinah. Juniper forest. Lichens

and ferns. Bee-keeping area.

Leopard, wolf and ibex occur here. Impressive wildlife area. Long-legged

Buzzard, Bonnelli’s Eagle, Pallid Swift and many other species.

Madinat Yanbu al-Sinaiyah Mangrove-fringed coastline south of Yanbu al-Bahr. Typical mangrove fauna. Birds include Little Bittern, Night Heron,

Osprey, Terek Sandpiper, Goliath Heron and Crab Plover.

Hawtat Bani Tamim

Special Nature Reserve – 90,000 hectares.

Ibex reserve established by NCWCD 200kms south of Riyadh. Part

of Tuwaiq escarpment. Camping and wildlife viewing encouraged.

Houbara Bustard occ. visitor. Griffon Vulture, Sand Partridge,

Yellow-vented bulbul, Hypocolius, Upchers warbler, Desert Lesser

Whitethroat and others.

Mahazat as-Sayd

Special Nature Reserve

Fenced, protected area established by NCWCD 175 km NE of Taif.

Dramatic results achieved by keeping out camels, goats, allowing

natural vegetation to flourish.

Sand cat, Rueppell’s fox, reintroduced oryx, gazelle, Houbara

Bustard. Many breeding desert larks. 115 birds recorded here.

Lesser Kestrel, Corncrake, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture and

many other birds.

 Taif Escarpment Stretching for 40 kms and roughly 10 kms wide a steep granitic

rock face rising 500 m above the Tihama plain and rising to 2600

m at Jabal Daka and Jabal Barad: the ‘Cold Mountain’.

Includes only place in Arabia where African and Mediterranean

junipers overlap. Birds include Philby’s Grouse and Tristram’s

Grackle.

Wadi Turabah and

Jabal Ibrahim

150 kms south-east of Taif. Granitic mountain rising 1000 m above

surrounding hills. Woodland in places. Junipiper, fig, ziziphus

and acacia trees.

Hamadryas baboons. Bird fauna includes some African species as

well as typically SW Arabian forms.

Umm al-Qamari

Special Nature Reserve

Fossil coral islands SW of Qunfudah. White-eyed Gulls. Cattle Egret, Osprey, pelican and others.
Raydah Escarpment

Special Nature Reserve

Approx 15 kms west of Abha. Precipitous rock face and steep slope.

Juniperus excelsa forest. Moist and often in clouds.

Noted in Important Bird Areas in the Middle East (IBAME)as : “Possibly

the most compact site in Saudi Arabia for south-west Arabian endemic,

and other woodland species.” Hamadryas baboon, caracal lynx and

wolf.

Malaki Dam

Jizan

Artificial lake in SW Saudi Arabia. “…one of the highest diversities of breeding birds in Arabia”

(IBAME)with various Afro-tropical species.”

Wadi Jawwah Runs through foothills east of Abu Arish. “The wadi has one of the highest diversities of breeding species

known in the country”. (IBAME).

Farasan Islands

Special Nature Reserve

Lying approximately 40kms out from Jizan. Group of islands. Farasan gazelle. Seabird breeding colonies. Turtles. Fish and

shrimp breeding. Mangrove areas.

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PSETTODIDAE Toothed flounders

PSETTODIDAE Toothed flounders

A member of the order Pleuronectiformes, or flatfishes, this family contains a single species, the Queensland halibut, also known as the oriental halibut. Unlike most flatfishes, the asymmetry is less pronounced and individuals may be left or right handed. Spines in dorsal and pelvic fins.

Oriental halibut Psettodes erumei

Dark brown eyes normally ranged right on top of head but can be to left or right side; white to viscous underbelly; large mouth with sharp teeth and powerful jaws. Offshore in deeper water, over mixed bottom and on sand near reefs. Predatory on small fish and crustaceans. 60 cm.

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Khor Kalba

Khor Kalba

On the east coast just south of Fujairah lies Khor Kalba, one of the last large areas of mangrove swamp left in the area. While the fishermen shelter their boats from the open sea close to the entrance, fish move well inland on the incoming tide and can be observed in the clear water. Here, shoals of smaller fish attract predators such as barracuda and mangrove snappers, as well as large ray and even sharks. Turtles come inshore here too, and have been known to lay their eggs on the raised beaches nearby.

The many crabs attract the attention of not only the fish, but birds as well. The collared kingfisher of Kalba is a unique sub-species only found in this restricted area, and the small population depends on the mangroves for their supply of crabs and shelter. The European kingfisher is a colourful winter visitor but does not encroach on their local relatives’ life-style, since they feed exclusively on small fish and leave the fiddler crabs to their collared colleagues.

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SCOMBRIDAE Tunas and mackerel

SCOMBRIDAE Tunas and mackerel

Most species in this family of medium to large size fish form large schools and feed in mid-water where they hunt fish or feed on planktonic forms. They are important commercial fish, generally caught in nets.

Frigate Mackerel Auxis thazard

Dorsum black-blue to metallic green with darker oblique bands. Silvery-grey to white below lateral. Spinous first dorsal deeply concave with 12 spines. Pelagic but also comes close inshore where it hunts in shoals for small fish, shrimp, and cuttlefish. 100 cm.

Eastern Little Tuna, Bonito or Kawkawa Euthynnus affinis

Dorsum black-blue to metallic green with darker oblique bands. Silvery-grey to white below lateral. Spinous first dorsal deeply concave with 12 spines. Common off the UAE’s two coastlines, pelagic but also comes close inshore where it hunts in shoals for small fish, shrimp, cuttlefish. 100 cm.

Narrow-barred Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus commerson

Dorsum black-blue to metallic green with numerous vertical variegated bands. Silvery-grey to white below lateral. Spinous first dorsal; second dorsal and anal fins pointed. Pelagic but smaller specimens also close inshore, especially in strong tidal flows. Shoal predator, feeding on fish, shrimp and cuttlefish. 235 cm.

Yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares

Dorsum black-blue to metallic green with golden-yellow laterally. Dorsal and anal fins bright yellow. Larger specimens develop elongate second dorsal and anal fins. Generally small fish in Arabian Gulf to 10 kgs, whilst up to 30 kgs off east coast. Oceanic pelagic shoal predator, feeding on fish, shrimp, and cuttlefish. 195 cm.

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POMACANTHIDAE Angel fishes

POMACANTHIDAE Angel fishes

Angelfishes are among the most attractive of the shallow-water reef fishes in the UAE. They are laterally compressed and somewhat triangular in profile. Their young have markedly different colour patters to the adult forms and are often mistaken as different species. Angelfishes generally eat sponges and are frequently found around underwater structures or wrecks to which these invertebrates have attached.

Emperor Angelfish Pomacanthus imperator

Beautifully marked fish, with bright yellow longitudinal stripes over a blue- brown background, marginally blue. Eyes masked. Mouth small with comb-like teeth. Juveniles dark blue with whitish whorl marking. Arabian Gulf and east coast, around sponge encrusted rocks and corals. 40 cms.

Yellowbar Angelfish Pomacanthus maculosis

Dark blue, with electric blue edges to fins; vertical yellowish baron flanks, tail fin bright yellow with orangey-brown spots. Shoulder mottled with dark blue-black streaks. Strong spine to lower edge of cheek below gill cover. Long dorsal and anal fins. Found on coral reefs, inshore structures, wrecks and outcrops. Grazes on sponges, algae and crustaceans. This colourful inhabitant of the coral reefs is the most common and largest of the angel fish in UAE waters. 45 cm.

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TETRAODONTIDAE Puffer fish

TETRAODONTIDAE Puffer fish

Short, stout-bodied fishes. Fused teeth form powerful beak. Gill plate absent, only small slit. Matching soft-rayed dorsal and anal fins. Skin below lateral line covered with small spines or naked. Pelvic fin absent, pectorals rounded. Caudal fin rounded and truncate. These curious little fish have powerful beak-like jaws for crushing molluscs and crustaceans. Often caught off piers and breakwaters, and should be handled carefully. When alarmed, they blow themselves up like small balloons and make a loud squeaking noise! Although some species are considered a delicacy in other parts of the world, most have highly poisonous livers, and should be left well alone!

 

 

 

 

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TORPEDINIDAE Electric ray

TORPEDINIDAE Electric ray

Mottled electric ray Torpedo panthera Circular disc, broader than long; caudal fin triangular, truncate. Spiracles almost as large as eyes. Mottled reddish-brown variegated lines and darker blotches. Separate paired fins also speckled. Can give powerful shock. Uncommon. Inshore sandy areas near reefs. Feeds on crustaceans and small fish. 60 cm.

 

 

 

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SYNODONTIDAE Lizardfish

SYNODONTIDAE Lizardfish

Elongated body, almost cylindrical. Adipose fin present. Mouth large and terminal, numerous small needle-like teeth. Feeds on small fish and intertebrates. Frequent shallow, sandy areas, particularly adjacent to structures, rocks and reefs.

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Indo- Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus )

Family Delphinidae

Description: Largest of the dolphins. In the UAE, some have been measured to be a little under 3m in length. Even from a fair distance, one may notice the robust head and relatively short and stubby beak, from which this dolphin gets its name. Close up, it is possible to see the clear crease that separates the beak from the bulbous forehead, or melon. Along with the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, the bottlenose is the only other dolphin likely to be seen regularly from land. It is bulkier and usually a darker colour than the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. Larger adults often bear white or pinkish scars from aggressive behaviour. Typically in groups of about 5-35 individuals, bottlenose dolphins are fast, powerful swimmers often riding the bow wave of boats, and as their reputation in aquaria attests, they are inquisitive and playful and are capable of some spectacular aerial acrobatics.

Habitat: Feeds over deep water, and over sand, seagrass and reefs in shallow water.

Range: One of the commonest cetaceans in the UAE and the species most likely to be seen close to cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah. Those that live close inshore are relatively placid, not displaying the acrobatic energy of their slightly larger counterparts further out to sea.

Comments: The bottlenose dolphin is considered to be one of the most intelligent of cetaceans. In the UAE this is a species that will often find you, before you find it. As well as seeking human company, bottlenose dolphins also frequently swim with other species, ranging from Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in the Arabian Gulf to sperm whales in the Gulf of Oman.

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Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin

Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis )

Family Delphinidae

Description: Rarely reaches over 2.5m in length. On surfacing, the long snout is pushed out of the water and the head and body roll over in a gentle arc. Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are most readily distinguished by the raised, fleshy hump on the back, from which the backward-curving dorsal fin rises. Body colour is uniform lead-grey, although paler and darker individuals may occur. The shape of the head bears some resemblance to that of the bottlenose dolphin, although the snout is usually more elongate and the forehead, or melon, less distinct. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is one of the most frequently observed species of cetacean in the UAE, commonly in groups of between 2 and 20 individuals. They tend to be fairly shy and sedate, not easily approached by boat or underwater.

Habitat: Restricted to warm, shallow waters where it feeds, primarily over sand, but also over reefs.

Range: Throughout UAE Arabian Gulf waters, where the depth does not exceed 30m. It has not been recorded along the UAE east coast shores, which is odd as this species is known from Musandam.

Comments: Schools of over 30 animals have been sighted on more than one occasion. Smaller groups are resident in the natural and man-made channels near the city of Abu Dhabi and off beaches near Dubai. Local fishermen call this dolphin ‘Dukhs’.