Birds to See in Saudi Arabia in December
106 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
106 bird species on our list for Saudi Arabia are recorded regularly in December. Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Rock Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove and Grey Heron. New this month: Sand Martin, Common Quail, Pacific Golden-Plover and Barn Owl and 2 more.
Residents
(34)Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloidesLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Great Grey Shrike
Lanius excubitorLC
Recorded all year
Cattle Egret
Ardea ibisLC
Recorded all year
Hoopoe
Upupa epopsLC
Recorded all year
Pallid Swift
Apus pallidusLC
Recorded all year
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinusLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Recorded all year
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon niloticaLC
Recorded all year
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticoraxLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseusLC
Recorded all year
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Recorded all year
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellusLC
Recorded all year
Purple Heron
Ardea purpureaLC
Recorded all year
Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubiusLC
Recorded all year
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Recorded all year
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Little Bittern
Ixobrychus minutusLC
Recorded all year
Common Reed-warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC
Recorded all year
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
Recorded all year
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(2)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Winter visitors
(49)Present outside the breeding season
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Jul–May
Bluethroat
Luscinia svecicaLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
Regularly Aug–May
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Regularly Aug–May
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Sep–May
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Water Pipit
Anthus spinolettaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochrurosLC
Regularly Oct–May
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Jul–May
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flavaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameriLC
Recorded all year
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Sep–May
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Regularly Nov–Feb
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
Regularly Aug–May
Crag Martin
Ptyonoprogne rupestrisLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Desert Finch
Rhodospiza obsoletaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Oriental Honey-buzzard
Pernis ptilorhynchusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Sep–Feb
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Blue Rock-thrush
Monticola solitariusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Aug–Jun
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
European Honey-buzzard
Pernis apivorusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulvaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Aug–May
Passage migrants
(21)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Black-necked Grebe
Podiceps nigricollisLC
Regularly Sep–Jan
Hooded Wheatear
Oenanthe monachaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Regularly Nov–Jan
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Regularly Nov–Apr
Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargusLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Sep–Feb
Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachydactylaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
Regularly Oct–Jan
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly May–Dec
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly Dec
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
Regularly Oct–May
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Common Quail
Coturnix coturnixLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Aug–Dec
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made