An Overview of Bird Migration Studies in Egypt

Abstract

This is an overview of ornithological studies carried out in Egypt since the beginning of XX JD century till the present time made on the basis of several more or less general publications. Geographical location and climate descriptions give the background information about the area. The literature overview stresses especially problems connected with the migration of passerines, but wider avifaunistic background is discussed as well. Special attention is paid to the passerines' strategy of migration through the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert, its direction and timing, as well as to the factors affecting passerines migration and bird ringing in Egypt. In conclusion, it is stressed that the studies on bird migration were done sporadically, from time to time and from one place to another, and there is a dramatic lack of permanent ringing / bird migration study field stations, despite the fact that some suitable and promising localities have been found, in which the studies have been carried out since 2001 by the SE European Bird Migration Network in cooperation with some protected areas managements.

Avian influenza virus surveillance in migratory birds in Egypt revealed a novel reassortant H6N2 subtype

“…This is due to the very strategic location of the country at the narrow boarder between the African and Asian continents (BirdLife 2018). Egypt is situated on the path of the Mediterranean-Black Sea and East-Africa West-Asia flyways of wild migratory birds, where wide variety of bird species are using these flyways each year particularly of the order Anseriformes and Charadriiformes (Ibrahim 2011;BirdLife 2018;Naguib et al 2019). The surveillance of AIVs in domestic poultry in Egypt has been maintained for more than a decade and has undergone remarkable progress, but studies on wild birds are limited.…”

Avian influenza viruses at the wild–domestic bird interface in Egypt

“…With its position in northeastern Africa, Egypt constitutes part of a land bridge between Africa and Eurasia [30]. This is reflected in migratory flyways of birds, where Egypt connects the Palearctic with the Afro-Tropical realms.…”

Survey of Bird Species at Petroleum Worker Camps at Marsa Matrouh Governorate, Western Desert of Egypt

“…The Western Desert extends from the Marsa Matrouh Governorate on the Mediterranean Sea from the north to south where the Sudanese border and from the east the Nile River to the Libyan border in the west (Khalifa and Abdelall 2019). There were no rivers and streams draining into or out of the western desert (Ibrahim, 2011). This desert land is generally deemed as a primitive wasteland.…”