Census reveals Greater flamingo is UAE's most common bird

FLAMINGO FLOCKS: Greater flamingo - a common sight in the United Arab Emirates

The International Waterbird Census (IWC) is undertaken every year during which millions of waterbirds are counted. Data from this count are used to analyse status and trends in numbers of birds and status of sites. Fourteen recorders covered 40 sites across the UAE over two days. This accounted for more than 53,000 birds. Eighty two species of waterbirds from a list of nearly 150 waterbirds were recorded during the count.

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve and Bu Al Syayeef area in Abu Dhabi Emirate and Khor al-Beidha in Umm Al Qaiwain recorded the maximum number of birds ranging from 13,000 to 9,000 birds.

‘This census is a tool to help us conserve our wetlands and protect our waterbirds. When undertaken regularly, this census can help us better understand trends in the numbers of birds and also assess the status of sites on which they depend,' said Dr. Salim Javed, Deputy Manager of Bird Conservation at EAD and Coordinator of IWC in the UAE.

Dr Christophe Tourenq, EWS-WWF, says: "Since 2000, the year of the last waterfowl census in the UAE under the International Waterfowl Census (IWC) scheme from Wetlands International, there has been no official published waterbird counts for the country with the exception of some book .

‘The status of the only endemic bird of UAE: the Collared Kingfisher which lieves in the mangrove of the East Coast, Khor Kalba, is still based on the 44 pairs counted in 1995 and a maximum of 15 birds in 2000. Informed decision-making on the conservation status of wildlife and its habitats in general and on the probable impacts of development on biodiversity in particular, is important for sustainable development.'

Peter Hellyer, a spokesman for the Emirates Bird Records Committee said: 'Regular monitoring exercises, such as this census, provide vitally-important information about changes in the status of the birdlife of the region.

‘EBRC members and other birdwatchers have been collecting such data for many years and we are delighted to have been able to collaborate this year with EAD and EWS-WWF. As a result, data from the UAE is more comprehensive than it has ever been before - helping to underline the country's significance as a wintering point for Asian waterfowl.'