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Jordan Tourism Guide |
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Natural Sites |
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 Bird
Watching |
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Bird-watchers from all over the world have
started organising weeklong trips to Jordan to
enjoy the sight of some rare species of
indigenous birds and others that migrate
annually between the northern and southern
hemispheres. Jordan's location at the crossroads
of Europe, Asia and Africa means that birds from
these three continents can sometimes be spotted
in the same general area in Jordan.
Jordan's remarkable variety of habitats - from
rugged mountains and evergreen woodlands to
scrubby steppe and hot deserts - also makes for
a dazzling variety of bird species. Jordan's
segment of the Syrian-African Rift Valley is
something of a high-traffic crossroads on the
main migration routes for birds moving between
Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Russia, towards
Africa and back. At certain times of the year,
the skies over the Rift Valley are full of
circling birds of prey.
The pleasure of bird watching in Jordan is also
enhanced by the genuine friendliness of the
Jordanian people, and the opportunity to combine
bird watching with trips to some of the Middle
East's most awesome ancient and natural wonders,
such as Petra, Wadi Rum, or the Dead Sea.
What sort of birds can you see?
The Eastern Desert habitat, including the Azraq
oasis with its Wetland Reserve, is home to local
desert and aquatic species, and is periodically
visited by migrants. The species one can meet
here include Temmink's Horned Lark, Desert Lark,
Hoopoe Lark, Desert Wheatear and Trumpeter
Finch. In winter, Cranes and Imperial Eagles
roam across this area, and in the Desert Castles
area east of Amman you can see Thick-billed Lark
and Red-rumped Wheatears.
In the western highlands, the Mediterranean
habitats surrounded by open steppe country - the
wooded areas of the north (Zubia, Ajloun and
Dibbin), and Dana in the south - are home to the
Palestine Sunbird and different Warblers (Upcher's,
Orphean and Sardinian). The more open steppe
habitats typically contain the Spectacled
Warbler, Long-billed Pipit, Black-eared
Wheatear, Woodchat Shrike and Linnet.
The rift margins and valleys of the western
highlands of four biogeographic zones, Wadi
Shu'ayb and Wadi Mujib with their perennial
watercourses are home to beautiful
White-breasted Kingfisher, while at the
magnificent rocky gorges of Wadi Rum, Dana,
Mujib and Petra you can find the Griffon
Vulture, Bonelli's Eagle, Hume's Tawny Owl,
Blackstart, different Wheatears, Scrub Warbler,
Sinai Rosefinch, House Bunting, Tristram's
Grackle and Fan-tailed Raven.
The Dead Sea area and Wadi Araba are home to
Arabian and African species such as the Sand
Partridge, Bar-tailed lark, Dunn's lark, Hoopoe
Lark, Little Green Bee-eater, Blackstart and
Arabian Babbler.
Several fine colour guides to bird watching in
Jordan have been published in recent years.
Important Bird Areas [IBAs] in Jordan
A total of 17 sites have been declared as IBAs
in Jordan, covering 9.5% of Jordan's area. Both
of Jordan's national parks, and the six nature
reserves are IBAs.
Five of the IBA sites are fully protected by
law, five are partially protected, and two
further are officially proposed for legal
protection.
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