Sardinian Warbler

Sylvia melanocephala (Gmelin, 1789).

Length 13-14 cm. The male bird has a velvety black head with distinctive red eye and eye ring; paler below; the chin is greyish-white. The female is dusky brown above, paler brownish below, while the juvenile differs in having a white eye ring. The Sardinian warbler breeds in semi-desert and farmland and bushy arable land, only in North Sinai. Its food is mainly insects but it also eats fruit in autumn and winter. The nest is a compact cup of grass, leaves, and stems, lined with finer grass and some rootlets;  the 3-5 eggs are incubated for 12-15 days. This is a locally common breeder in North Sinai and a common winter visitor to El-Fayium and Sinai.

Sand Partridge

Ammoperdix heyi (Temminck, 1825).

Length 24 cm. The male bird is a soft purplish-brown color, which matches the color of the rocks among which it lives. The flanks are boldly barred black and rufous, and there is a prominent white patch behind each eye. The female is a duller sandy-grey and lacks the barring and head markings; the bill and legs are orange-yellow. The Sand Partridge lives in small groups in rocky desert and semi-desert with scattered vegetation, where it feeds on seeds, berries, and insects as well as bulbs. When escaping from predators, it tends to run rather than fly. The nest is a shallow scrape under a bush or rock; 5-7 eggs are laid; the underparts of the chicks is pale buff above and whitish below. This is a fairly common resident breeding bird in the Eastern Desert and Sinai.

 

Sand Martin

Riparia riparia (Linnaeus, 1758).

Length 12 cm. This is one of the smallest birds in the Swallow and Martin family; it has a short forked tail. It is brown above with white underparts and a brown breast band and dusky underwing. It is found abundantly over fields and swamps near the sandy banks and feeds on flying insects, which it catches in flight. The Sand Martin excavates its nest in sandbanks, creating large and busy colonies. Up to six eggs are laid and incubated by both parents. This is a common resident breeding bird and passage migrant that is found in Egypt in the Nile Valley and Delta and along the Red Sea Coast.

Rock Dove

Columba livia Gmelin, 1789.

Length 33 cm. This dove is the ancestor of all domestic pigeons; it has a dark bluish-grey head with purple and green iridescence on the neck and wing feathers. There are two black bars on the wings, and the tail is tipped black; the legs are pinkish red. The Rock Dove lives in mountainous areas in deserts and along sea cliffs, usually near water sources such as oases. Its food typically consists of grain and sometimes vegetation. It flies a steady and direct path to and from its feeding places and water sources, and seeks cover during the heat of the day under cliffs and ledges. The nest is a loose shallow cup, fashioned from stems, leaves, and roots of plants and placed in crevices in cliffs, in caves, and in water wells. Two eggs are laid and are incubated for 16-19 days. This bird is a common breeding resident of the Eastern and Western Deserts, the Nile Valley, and Sinai.

Ring-necked Parakeet

Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769).

Length 41 cm including the 25 cm tail. A bright green parakeet with a deeply hooked dark red bill and long slender tail; the male has a rose-pink collar on the back of the neck and a black throat. The Ring-necked Parakeet lives in gardens, cultivation, and open areas with deciduous trees. It feeds on seeds and fruits such as dates and mangos. It nests in holes in trees that it enlarges itself as necessary. The 3-4 eggs are laid and incubated for 22 days. This bird was introduced from India at the beginning of the twentieth century and is scarce and localized in Egypt, where it is found sporadically in the Nile Delta and Suez Canal Zone; it is not uncommon in Giza. Its natural range is India and parts of sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many parts of the world including Europe.

Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula Linnaeus, 1758.

Length 19 cm. A small plover with distinctive black markings on the forehead and face, and a complete black collar; the back is brown and the underparts are pale; a distinct white wing bar is visible in flight. The bill is yellow with a black tip, and the legs are orange. The juveniles and winter plumaged adults are paler, and lack the white markings. The Ringed Plover frequents coastal mudflats and sandy beaches in winter. It feeds on crustaceans, gastropods, and insects, which it attracts by vibrating its feet rapidly on the mud, thus forcing its prey to come to the surface. It is a fairly common winter visitor and passage migrant to most coastal and inland waters along the Mediterranean and Red Sea Coasts and the Nile Delta wetlands.

Redshank

Tringa totanus (Linnaeus, 1758).

Length 27-29 cm. The long red legs and black-tipped red bill quickly distinguish this wader. The color is grey-brown on the back; the conspicuous white rump and the broad white hind wing are visible in flight. The Redshank spends the winter on estuaries and marshes feeding on insects, spiders, and annelids. Non-breeders, particularly, consume small fish and tadpoles. Food is caught by walking briskly along while pecking or sweeping the bill through mud and water. A common passage migrant and winter visitor to Egypt where it is found in the Western Desert and the Nile Valley.

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus, 1758).

Length 40-50 cm. This is a large bird that is easily identified by its massive triangular red bill, red legs, and long slender toes. Plumage is predominantly blue to violet, although in the Egyptian race the bird is bronze-green on the back; the under-tail coverts are white. The Purple Gallinule lives in reed swamps bordering ponds, lakes, and rivers. It is omnivorous; feeds on young reed shoots and the leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants together with mollusks and small crabs. The nest is built in the shallow water on a platform of vegetation. Three to five eggs are laid and incubated for 23-27 days by both parents. It is a resident breeder in the Nile Valley and Delta.