Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city, is a little haven for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts. With its unique desert landscape and Nile River valley, Aswan attracts a diverse range of both resident and migratory bird species.
Here are the top 10 resident birds you can spot in Aswan.
1- African swamphen
Scientific Name: (Porphyrio madagascariensis)
Arabic Name: (فرخة سلطانية)
Length: 45-50 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Long-legged gallinule with deep violet and paler blue colors and pinky legs. It prefers freshwater and slow flowing rivers which are flanked by reeds. Secretive in habits and feeds on plant matter and small vertebrates.
2- Nile valley sunbird
Scientific Name: (Hedydipna metallica)
Arabic Name: (تمير وادي النيل)
Length: 9-17 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Small sunbird with short decurved bill. Male is unmistakable with a glossy green head, throat and back, a bright yellow belly, and extremely long thin tail. Often found in Arid scrub and gardens near irrigation. Diet: Mainly nectar, sometimes also insects.
3- Ferruginous duck
Scientific Name: (Aythya nyroca)
Arabic Name: (بط حديدي)
Length: 38-42 cm
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Resident breeding duck and winter visitor. Rich rusty brown overall with small white patch under tail. It can seen everywhere on the Nile around the islands of Aswan. Inhabits marshes with surrounding reeds.
4- African green bee-eater
Scientific Name: (Merops viridissimus)
Arabic Name: (وروار خضيري إفريقي)
Length: 16-18 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Small and well-named bee-eater that is found in arid woodland and farmland, among other semi-open habitats.
5- Egyptian goose
Scientific Name: (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Arabic Name: (إوزة مصرية)
Length: 63-73 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
African species, common resident breeding. It has pink legs and overall gray and buffy plumage. Usually found in pairs or in small flocks. It feeds near water and marshes. Read more about Egyptian Goose
6- Clamorous reed warbler
Scientific Name: (Acrocephalus stentoreus)
Arabic Name: (هازجة القصب الصياحة)
Length: 18-20 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Large plain reed warbler, usually with a whitish supercilium, olive-brown lores, cheeks, and ear coverts. Habitat includes: Papyrus stands, reeds around lakes, ponds and along rivers. Feeds on insects.
7- Senegal thick-knee
Scientific Name: (Burhinus senegalensis)
Arabic Name: (الكروان)
Length: 32-38 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Medium-large wader with strong black and yellow black bill, large yellow eyes. It prefers dry open habitats with some bare ground, mostly near water.
8- Purple heron
Scientific Name: (Ardea purpurea)
Arabic Name: (بلشون أرجواني)
Length: 78-97 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Similar to the more common gray heron but is slightly smaller, more slender and has darker plumage. Favouring densely vegetated habitats near water. It feeds on fish, rodents, frogs and insects.
9- Pied kingfisher
Scientific Name: (Ceryle rudis)
Arabic Name: (رفراف)
Length: 25-29 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Distinctive medium-sized kingfisher with black and white plumage. Found near lakes, large rivers, estuaries and coastal lagoons. Feeds largely on fish. Read more interesting facts about Pied Kingfisher
10- Spur-winged lapwing
Scientific Name: (Vanellus spinosus)
Arabic Name: (زقزاق بلدي)
Length: 25-28 cm
Conservation Status: Least concern
Medium-large wader with black crown, chest, foreneck stripe and tail. It prefers marshes and similar freshwater wetland habitats. The food of the spur-winged lapwing is insects and other invertebrates, which are picked from the ground.
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