Birds to See in Western Sahara in December
30 bird species on our list for Western Sahara are recorded regularly in December
Of these, the most often recorded are Osprey, Dunlin, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron and Great Cormorant. New this month: House Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Yellow-legged Gull and Greater Flamingo and 24 more.
On the move in December
GBIF · DecArriving
At their peak
From Western Sahara’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 30 birds in December
30 birds
OspreyPandion haliaetusPassage migrantCommon54–58 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 4.28% in Dec
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorCommon16–22 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 3.43% in Dec
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 3.43% in Dec
Grey HeronArdea cinereaWinter visitorCommon90–98 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 3.21% in Dec
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboPassage migrantCommon80–100 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 3.00% in Dec
Little EgretEgretta garzettaWinter visitorCommon55–65 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 3.00% in Dec
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisWinter visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 3.00% in Dec
Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseusWinter visitorCommon120–145 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 2.78% in Dec
House SparrowPasser domesticusWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Dec–Feb · 2.78% in Dec
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorCommon37–41 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 2.57% in Dec
Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouiniiWinter visitorCommon48–52 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 2.36% in Dec
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantCommon21–24 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 2.36% in Dec
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 2.36% in Dec
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantCommon27–30 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 2.14% in Dec
Northern GannetMorus bassanusWinter visitorCommon87–100 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 2.14% in Dec
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 2.14% in Dec
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisPassage migrantCommon52–68 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 2.14% in Dec
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusPassage migrantCommon40–45 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.93% in Dec
Pied WagtailMotacilla albaPassage migrantCommon17–18 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 1.93% in Dec
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.93% in Dec
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaPassage migrantCommon17–19 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.93% in Dec
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusPassage migrantCommon38–44 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 1.71% in Dec
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.50% in Dec
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaWinter visitorCommon80–90 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.50% in Dec
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosPassage migrantCommon18–20 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.28% in Dec
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoWinter visitorCommon30–32 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.07% in Dec
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantCommon30–35 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 1.07% in Dec
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaPassage migrantCommon10–12 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.86% in Dec
Cattle EgretArdea ibisPassage migrantCommon46–56 cmRegularly Dec–Feb · 0.64% in Dec
Thekla's LarkGalerida theklaeWinter visitorCommon15–17 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 0.64% in Dec
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Chiffchaff 10–12 cm
- House Sparrow 14–17 cm
- Thekla's Lark 15–17 cm
- Pied Wagtail 17–18 cm
- Ringed Plover 17–19 cm
- Barn Swallow 17–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Grey Plover 27–30 cm
- Eurasian Collared Dove 30–32 cm
- Greenshank 30–35 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Bar-tailed Godwit 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Eurasian Oystercatcher 40–45 cm
- Whimbrel 40–46 cm
- Audouin's Gull 48–52 cm
- Cattle Egret 46–56 cm
- Osprey 54–58 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- Little Egret 55–65 cm
- Yellow-legged Gull 52–68 cm
- Eurasian Spoonbill 80–90 cm
- Great Cormorant 80–100 cm
- Northern Gannet 87–100 cm
- Grey Heron 90–98 cm
- Greater Flamingo 120–145 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
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