Yemen bird checklist
363 bird species in 73 families have been recorded in Yemen, according to eBird; about 294 of them are seen regularly, and the rest are rarities, vagrants and escaped or introduced birds. Download the full list as a PDF, or tick birds off on your phone, with counts and notes, even without signal.
Species data: eBird.org, updated · How these lists are made
The most common birds in Yemen right now
1Bridled Tern
2Jouanin's Petrel
3Masked Booby
4Persian Shearwater
5Black-bellied Plover
6Barn Swallow
7Rock Pigeon
8Northern Shoveler
9Common Tern
10Western Cattle-Egret
Yemen bird checklist
363 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- White-faced Whistling-Duck
- Greater White-fronted Goose
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Common Shelduck
- Cotton Pygmy-Goose
- Garganey
- Northern Shoveler
- Gadwall
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Mallard
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Canvasback
- Common Pochard
- Ferruginous Duck
- Tufted Duck
Guineafowl
- Helmeted Guineafowl
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Sand Partridge
- Common Quail
- Harlequin Quail
- Arabian Partridge
- Philby's Partridge
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- Rameron Pigeon
- European Turtle-Dove
- Dusky Turtle-Dove
- African Collared-Dove
- Red-eyed Dove
- Laughing Dove
- Namaqua Dove
- Bruce's Green-Pigeon
Sandgrouse
- Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
- Crowned Sandgrouse
- Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse
Bustards
- Arabian Bustard
Cuckoos
- White-browed Coucal
- Pied Cuckoo
- Dideric Cuckoo
- Klaas's Cuckoo
- Common Cuckoo
Nightjars and Allies
- Eurasian Nightjar
- Egyptian Nightjar
- Nubian Nightjar
- Plain Nightjar
Swifts
- Himalayan Swiftlet
- Alpine Swift
- Common Swift
- Pallid Swift
- Forbes-Watson's Swift
- Little Swift
- African Palm Swift
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Water Rail
- Corn Crake
- Spotted Crake
- Eurasian Moorhen
- Eurasian Coot
- Red-knobbed Coot
- White-breasted Waterhen
- Little Crake
Cranes
- Demoiselle Crane
- Common Crane
Thick-knees
- Spotted Thick-knee
- Eurasian Thick-knee
Stilts and Avocets
- Black-winged Stilt
- Pied Avocet
Oystercatchers
- Eurasian Oystercatcher
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Common Ringed Plover
- Little Ringed Plover
- Spur-winged Lapwing
- Sociable Lapwing
- White-tailed Lapwing
- Tibetan Sand-Plover
- Greater Sand-Plover
- Kentish Plover
Jacanas
- Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Sandpipers and Allies
- Eurasian Whimbrel
- Eurasian Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Pin-tailed Snipe
- Common Snipe
- Red Phalarope
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Terek Sandpiper
- Common Sandpiper
- Green Sandpiper
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Wood Sandpiper
- Common Redshank
- Spotted Redshank
- Common Greenshank
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Red Knot
- Ruff
- Broad-billed Sandpiper
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Temminck's Stint
- Sanderling
- Dunlin
- Little Stint
Crab-Plover
- Crab-Plover
Pratincoles and Coursers
- Cream-colored Courser
- Collared Pratincole
- Black-winged Pratincole
Skuas and Jaegers
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Slender-billed Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Pallas's Gull
- Sooty Gull
- White-eyed Gull
- Caspian Gull
- Armenian Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Brown Noddy
- Lesser Noddy
- Sooty Tern
- Bridled Tern
- Little Tern
- Saunders's Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Common Tern
- White-cheeked Tern
- Sandwich Tern
- Lesser Crested Tern
- Great Crested Tern
Flamingos
- Greater Flamingo
- Lesser Flamingo
Grebes
- Little Grebe
- Eared Grebe
Tropicbirds
- Red-billed Tropicbird
Southern Storm-Petrels
- Wilson's Storm-Petrel
- White-faced Storm-Petrel
- Black-bellied Storm-Petrel
Northern Storm-Petrels
- Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Jouanin's Petrel
- Flesh-footed Shearwater
- Wedge-tailed Shearwater
- Persian Shearwater
Storks
- Black Stork
- Abdim's Stork
- White Stork
Frigatebirds
- Christmas Island Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Brown Booby
- Masked Booby
Cormorants and Shags
- Great Cormorant
- Socotra Cormorant
Ibises and Spoonbills
- Glossy Ibis
- African Sacred Ibis
- Northern Bald Ibis
- Eurasian Spoonbill
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Eurasian Bittern
- Little Bittern
- Yellow Bittern
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Little Egret
- Western Reef-Heron
- Little Heron
- Squacco Heron
- Indian Pond-Heron
- Western Cattle-Egret
- Great Egret
- Yellow-billed Egret
- Gray Heron
- Purple Heron
- Black-headed Heron
- Goliath Heron
Hamerkop
- Hamerkop
Pelicans
- Great White Pelican
- Pink-backed Pelican
Osprey
- Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Black-winged Kite
- Bearded Vulture
- Egyptian Vulture
- European Honey-buzzard
- Oriental Honey-buzzard
- Cinereous Vulture
- Eurasian Griffon
- Bateleur
- Short-toed Snake-Eagle
- Lesser Spotted Eagle
- Greater Spotted Eagle
- Booted Eagle
- Steppe Eagle
- Imperial Eagle
- Tawny Eagle
- Golden Eagle
- Verreaux's Eagle
- Bonelli's Eagle
- Gabar Goshawk
- Dark Chanting-Goshawk
- Shikra
- Levant Sparrowhawk
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Western Marsh Harrier
- Hen Harrier
- Pallid Harrier
- Montagu's Harrier
- Black Kite
- Common Buzzard
- Socotra Buzzard
- Long-legged Buzzard
Barn-Owls
- Western Barn Owl
Owls
- Arabian Scops-Owl
- Socotra Scops-Owl
- Arabian Eagle-Owl
- Little Owl
- Desert Owl
- Short-eared Owl
Hoopoes
- Common Hoopoe
Hornbills
- African Gray Hornbill
Bee-eaters
- White-throated Bee-eater
- Arabian Green Bee-eater
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- European Bee-eater
Kingfishers
- Malachite Kingfisher
- Gray-headed Kingfisher
Rollers
- European Roller
- Abyssinian Roller
Woodpeckers
- Eurasian Wryneck
- Arabian Woodpecker
Falcons and Caracaras
- Lesser Kestrel
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Eleonora's Falcon
- Sooty Falcon
- Eurasian Hobby
- Lanner Falcon
- Saker Falcon
- Peregrine Falcon
Old World Parrots
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
Old World Orioles
- Eurasian Golden Oriole
Bushshrikes and Allies
- Black-crowned Tchagra
Monarch Flycatchers
- African Paradise-Flycatcher
Shrikes
- Red-backed Shrike
- Red-tailed Shrike
- Isabelline Shrike
- Great Gray Shrike
- Lesser Gray Shrike
- Somali Fiscal
- Masked Shrike
- Woodchat Shrike
Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- House Crow
- Brown-necked Raven
- Fan-tailed Raven
Larks
- Greater Hoopoe-Lark
- Bar-tailed Lark
- Desert Lark
- Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark
- Singing Bushlark
- Crested Lark
- Rufous-capped Lark
- Greater Short-toed Lark
- Bimaculated Lark
- Arabian Lark
Cisticolas and Allies
- Graceful Prinia
- Socotra Warbler
- Zitting Cisticola
- Socotra Cisticola
Reed Warblers and Allies
- Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
- Upcher's Warbler
- Icterine Warbler
- Sedge Warbler
- Marsh Warbler
- Common Reed Warbler
- Great Reed Warbler
- Clamorous Reed Warbler
Swallows
- Plain Martin
- Bank Swallow
- Eurasian Crag-Martin
- Pale Crag-Martin
- Barn Swallow
- Western House-Martin
- European Red-rumped Swallow
Bulbuls
- White-spectacled Bulbul
Leaf Warblers
- Wood Warbler
- Willow Warbler
- Common Chiffchaff
- Brown Woodland-Warbler
Bush Warblers and Allies
- Scrub Warbler
Sylviid Warblers and Allies
- Eurasian Blackcap
- Garden Warbler
- Barred Warbler
- Lesser Whitethroat
- Yemen Warbler
- Arabian Warbler
- Eastern Orphean Warbler
- Asian Desert Warbler
- Menetries's Warbler
- Greater Whitethroat
White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies
- Abyssinian White-eye
- Socotra White-eye
Laughingthrushes and Allies
- Arabian Babbler
Starlings
- Violet-backed Starling
- Tristram's Starling
- Somali Starling
- Socotra Starling
Thrushes and Allies
- Song Thrush
- Yemen Thrush
Old World Flycatchers
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Gambaga Flycatcher
- Black Scrub-Robin
- Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin
- White-throated Robin
- Thrush Nightingale
- Common Nightingale
- Bluethroat
- Common Redstart
- Black Redstart
- Little Rock-Thrush
- Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
- Blue Rock-Thrush
- Whinchat
- European Stonechat
- Siberian Stonechat
- African Stonechat
- Northern Wheatear
- Buff-breasted Wheatear
- Isabelline Wheatear
- Desert Wheatear
- Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
- Pied Wheatear
- Blackstart
- Arabian Wheatear
- Mourning Wheatear
Sunbirds and Spiderhunters
- Nile Valley Sunbird
- Socotra Sunbird
- Palestine Sunbird
- Arabian Sunbird
Weavers and Allies
- Rüppell's Weaver
Waxbills and Allies
- African Silverbill
- Arabian Waxbill
- Zebra Waxbill
Accentors
- Radde's Accentor
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
- Abd al Kuri Sparrow
- Socotra Sparrow
- Arabian Golden Sparrow
- Sahel Bush Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits
- Gray Wagtail
- Western Yellow Wagtail
- Citrine Wagtail
- White Wagtail
- Richard's Pipit
- African Pipit
- Long-billed Pipit
- Tawny Pipit
- Tree Pipit
- Red-throated Pipit
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Arabian Grosbeak
- Socotra Grosbeak
- Arabian Serin
- Yemen Serin
- Yemen Linnet
Old World Buntings
- Cinereous Bunting
- Ortolan Bunting
- Socotra Bunting
- Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
- Striolated Bunting
Most common birds in Yemen
Ranked by how recently and how widely each was reported to eBird in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, and whether it is one of Yemen’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
- Jouanin's PetrelBulweria fallax
- Masked BoobySula dactylatra
- Persian ShearwaterPuffinus persicus
- Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Western Cattle-EgretArdea ibis
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Bank SwallowRiparia riparia
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferruginea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
Largest bird families in Yemen
Among its regular birds.
- Hawks, Eagles, and Kites24
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers22
- Sandpipers and Allies22
- Old World Flycatchers21
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl13
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns12
- Plovers and Lapwings10
- Pigeons and Doves9
Reported in the last 30 days
5 species reported to eBird in Yemen in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, most recent first:
Bridled Tern, Jouanin's Petrel, Masked Booby, Persian Shearwater, Sooty Tern.
Get to know some of them
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Ruddy Turnstone
Dunlin
Sanderling
Glossy Ibis
Bank Swallow
Little Grebe
House Sparrow
Black-winged Stilt
Ruff
Wood Sandpiper
Common Redshank
Little Stint
Sandwich Tern
Common Greenshank
Red-necked Phalarope