This is alist of the bird species recorded in Palestine.Theavifauna of thePalestine region is unusually rich for so small an area.Henry B. Tristram, who identified much of the avifauna of Palestine in an 1885 study which denoted the geographical scope as covering an area of 5,600 square miles (15,000 km2), identified 348 species. Of those, 271 arePalearctic, 40 areEthiopian (10 of which are alsoIndian), 7 Indian and 30 which are peculiar toSyria.[1][2]
Orders containing the largest numbers of species are:Passeriformes (songbirds) with 192 species,Charadriiformes (waders, plovers, gulls) with 88 species,Falconiformes (diurnal birds of prey) with 44 species andAnseriformes (swans, geese, ducks) with 33 species. The largest families are:Sylviidae (warblers) with 43 species,Turdidae (thrushes, chats) andAnatidae (swans, geese, ducks), both with 33 species andAccipitridae (eagles, vultures, hawks) with 32 species. The most populous genera are:Sylvia (warblers) with 15 species,Emberiza (buntings) with 14 andLarus (gulls) with 13, whileOenanthe (wheatears),Sterna (terns) andFalco (falcons) each comprise 11 species.[citation needed]
The types of avifauna are not equally diffused over the whole area. The Palearctic species are found largely near the coast of theMediterranean Sea and the highlands east and west of Jordan. The Ethiopian and Indian types are almost exclusively confined to theDead Sea basin.[2] There are 30 species of migratorysoaring birds that pass through Palestine annually.[3]
Order:Struthioniformes Family:Struthionidae
Order:Falconiformes Family:Accipitridae
Order:Gruiformes Family:Gruidae
Order:Gruiformes Family:Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes therails,crakes,coots andgallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and appear to be weak fliers. There are 143 species worldwide.
Order:Gruiformes Family:Otidae
Order:Pelecaniformes Family:Phalacrocoracidae
Order:Pelecaniformes Family:Pelecanidae
Order:Falconiformes Family:Falconidae
Order:Falconiformes Family:Pandionidae
Order:Galliformes Family:Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists ofquails,partridges,snowcocks,francolins,spurfowls,tragopans,monals,pheasants,peafowls andjungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings. There are 156 species worldwide.
Order:Ciconiiformes Family:Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains thebitterns,herons andegrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills, members of this family fly with their necks retracted.
Order:Ciconiiformes Family:Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which comprises theibises andspoonbills. Its members have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondaryflight feathers. They are strong fliers and, despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.
Order:Anseriformes Family:Anatidae
Anatidae includes theducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such asgeese andswans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 131 species worldwide.
.jpg)
Order:Ciconiiformes Family:Ciconiidae
Order:Pelecaniformes Family:Phaethontidae
Order:Phoenicopteriformes Family:Phoenicopteridae
Order:Coraciiformes Family:Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.
Order:Coraciiformes Family:Meropidae
The bee-eaters are a group ofnear passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa but others occur insouthern Europe,southern Asia, Australia andNew Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are colourful and have long down-turned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar. There are 26 species worldwide.
Order:Coraciiformes Family:Coraciidae
Rollers resemblecrows in size and build, but are more closely related to thekingfishers andbee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not. There are 12 species worldwide.
Order:Coraciiformes Family:Upupidae
Hoopoes have black, white and pink plumage and a large erectile crest on the head. There are two species worldwide.
Order:Piciformes Family:Picidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Turdidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Muscicapidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Sylviidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Locustellidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Acrocephalidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Cettiidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Phylloscopidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Cisticolidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Scotocercidae
Order:Passeriformes Family:Corvidae
The family Corvidae includescrows,ravens,jays,choughs,magpies,treepies,nutcrackers andground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.
Order:Passeriformes Family:Sturnidae
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.
Order:Passeriformes Family:Alaudidae
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.
Order:Passeriformes Family:Hirundinidae
The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base. There are 75 species worldwide.
Order:Passeriformes Family:Laniidae
Shrikes are passerine birds known for the habit of some species of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like abird of prey.
Order:Passeriformes Family:Fringillidae
Finches are passerine birds known for their stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and which often have colourful plumage. Some finches, particularly, the goldfinch, are known for their pleasant to cacophonous song, which changes in pitch and in tone, from trills into twitters.
Order:Passeriformes Family:Pycnonotidae
Bulbuls are renowned for their melodious tunes, hence its name in Arabic: (بلبل),[17][18] meaningnightingale.
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes theavocets andstilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. There are nine species worldwide
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Burhinidae
The thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within thetropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid orsemi-arid habitats. There are nine species worldwide.
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Haematopodidae
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Charadriidae
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Glareolidae
Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising thepratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and thecoursers, which have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards.
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, thegulls,terns andkittiwakes. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. A distinct subfamily, terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface offresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Stercorariidae
The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants. There are seven species worldwide.
Order:Charadriiformes Family:Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including thesandpipers,curlews,godwits,shanks,tattlers,woodcocks,snipes,dowitchers andphalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, withoutdirect competition for food.
Order:Columbiformes Family:Columbidae
Pigeons anddoves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshycere.
Order:Cuculiformes Family:Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includescuckoos,roadrunners andanis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Many Old World cuckoo species arebrood parasites.
Order:Pterocliformes Family:Pteroclidae
Order:Strigiformes Family:Tytonidae
Barn-owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons. There are 16 species worldwide.
Order:Strigiformes Family:Strigidae
Thetypical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. There are 195 species worldwide.
Order:Caprimulgiformes Family:Caprimulgidae
Nightjars are medium-sized ground-nesting nocturnal birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves. There are 86 species worldwide.
Order:Caprimulgiformes Family:Apodidae
Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. There are 98 species worldwide.
Order:Caprimulgiformes Family:Prunellidae
