Birds to See in Saudi Arabia in October
128 species listed for October · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
128 bird species on our list for Saudi Arabia are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Rock Dove, Kestrel and Grey Heron. New this month: Pied Wagtail, Water Pipit, Black Redstart and Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush and 14 more.
New in October18
Leaving after last month5
Residents
(34)Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Cattle Egret
Ardea ibisLC
Recorded all year
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloidesLC
Recorded all year
Hoopoe
Upupa epopsLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon niloticaLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Recorded all year
Purple Heron
Ardea purpureaLC
Recorded all year
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellusLC
Recorded all year
Great Grey Shrike
Lanius excubitorLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Recorded all year
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticoraxLC
Recorded all year
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Pallid Swift
Apus pallidusLC
Recorded all year
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Recorded all year
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseusLC
Recorded all year
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
Recorded all year
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
Recorded all year
Common Reed-warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC
Recorded all year
Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubiusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Little Bittern
Ixobrychus minutusLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(5)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Winter visitors
(47)Present outside the breeding season
Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flavaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Jul–May
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
Regularly Aug–May
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Jul–May
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Aug–May
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Aug–Jun
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameriLC
Recorded all year
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Sep–May
European Honey-buzzard
Pernis apivorusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Regularly Aug–May
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Sep–Feb
Oriental Honey-buzzard
Pernis ptilorhynchusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
Regularly Aug–May
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Crag Martin
Ptyonoprogne rupestrisLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Blue Rock-thrush
Monticola solitariusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulvaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Desert Finch
Rhodospiza obsoletaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochrurosLC
Regularly Oct–May
Bluethroat
Luscinia svecicaLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Water Pipit
Anthus spinolettaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Passage migrants
(41)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
European Bee-eater
Merops apiasterLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurioLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachydactylaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargusLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Common Quail
Coturnix coturnixLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Feb–Oct
Woodchat Shrike
Lanius senatorNT
Regularly Feb–Oct
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
European Turtle-dove
Streptopelia turturVU
Regularly Apr–Oct
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Bonelli's Eagle
Aquila fasciataLC
Regularly Oct–May
Nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Hobby
Falco subbuteoLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatusLC
Regularly Oct
Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush
Monticola saxatilisLC
Regularly Oct–May
Wryneck
Jynx torquillaLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Eurasian Stone-curlew
Burhinus oedicnemusLC
Regularly Oct
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
Regularly Oct–May
Griffon Vulture
Gyps fulvusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Marsh Warbler
Acrocephalus palustrisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchosLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Hooded Wheatear
Oenanthe monachaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Corncrake
Crex crexLC
Regularly May–Oct
Egyptian Vulture
Neophron percnopterusEN
Regularly Oct–Feb
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly May–Dec
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Regularly Sep–Feb
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Regularly Oct–Jan
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
Regularly Oct–Jan
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Oct
Scarce visitors
(1)Recorded in some years but not every year
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