Abu Dhabi: More than 450 species of bird species have been recorded in the country, of which nearly 70 per cent are migratory, a senior official told Gulf News.
The migratory birds — largely from Europe and Central Asia — come here to spend winter or stopover enroute to wintering areas in Africa, Dr Salim Javed, Manager of the Terrestrial Assessment and Conservation Programme at the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi ( EAD), said.
There are number of birds which pass through the UAE, stopping over for a brief period to refuel and rest, before continuing with their southward migration.
Bird migration is an annual journey of birds from breeding areas to wintering areas, he said.
Birds use different strategies to undertake migration, some complete the migratory journey using several stops while some others fly non-stop between breeding and wintering areas.
Migration is extremely challenging for birds as they have to undertake long journeys often covering several thousand kilometres in round trips.
Birds have to overcome the odds of bad weather, unknown areas, hunting etc.
Nearly 20 per cent of all the 9,500 bird species found globally are migratory birds, Dr Javed said.
