Birds
Birds are considered a vital part of Saudi Arabia’s biodiversity and are key indicators of the ecosystem’s state, as they perform important ecological functions that contributes to environmental balance, such as: seed dispersal, pollination, and biological control. The Kingdom’s location between East Asia, Europe, and Africa, constitutes one of the most important migration flyways in the world. there are 219 breeding species, 280 migratory species, and 51 vagrant species, bringing the total number of bird species in Saudi Arabia to 550. 13 species are semi-endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, and one species is endemic to Saudi Arabia, which is the Asiri Magpie (Pica asirensis). 27 of those species are globally threatened. The mission of the Bird Conservation Department of the National Center for Wildlife is to study the birds of Saudi Arabia across key biodiversity areas, wetlands, migratory flyways, existing and proposed protected areas whilst simultaneously understanding their distribution, and abundance, with the aim to protect and conserve them within the Kingdom.
- 1. Conduct field research and monitoring of bird migration flyways across the kingdom.
- 2. Update information on the birds of Saudi Arabia, including their conservation status.
- 3. Conduct workshops to facilitate information exchange with experts across Saudi Arabia’s universities, national and international research centers.
- 4. Study bird communities in protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas, and wetlands in collaboration with key stakeholders.
- 5. Develop a national inventory of non-native invasive species and propose mitigation measures.
- 6. Deploy new technologies to develop a geo-referenced database for species and their distribution.
- 7. Develop and implement national action plans to conserve endemic and threatened species in accordance with international best practices.
The mission of the bird conservation department of the National Center for Wildlife:
