Birds of Iraq field guide (written in Arabic).

I've been hearing from a few people serving in Iraq, who have been noticing and trying to identify birds there. Tracy Banister, Daniel Britt (from Minnesota, next to Sherburne NWR!!), Terry Bryant, John Cole, Alan Conilogue, Ray Decker, Harry Dollahan, John Duresky, Tim Durham, Daniel Fain, Chad Farrell, Laurie Haak, Mark Hoyne (a fellow Minnesotan!), Glenn Krise, James W. Lewis, William McVicker, Peter Park, Matt Stevens, Mikey Stice, Eric Sutherland, Rita Wellborn, Rich Youtes, and Dan Zinder have sent me some photos they've taken of birds there. I'll be happy to post any and all photos of Iraqi birds that people serving there may send, and get advice when I can't identify them myself. Jeremy Barker from England has been indispensible in helping me with identifications, and Killian Mullarney from Ireland has caught some of my mistakes.

Click on the photos to see larger versions. It's getting really fun now that we're getting several each for some species--it gives a better glimpse into what the birds really look like and their habits to see them in different poses in different places. Even with all the help I'm getting, any errors in identification are my fault--I'm doing my best to keep this up, but sometimes there are screw-ups. I really appreciate suggestions and corrections! And if I somehow missed your name or wrote over your photos, please let me know!

This is NOT a photography contest. It's just a place where people in Iraq can get a little help identifying birds and can share their experiences with nature with one another and with those of us in the States. I really appreciate all bird photos people there care to share.

I've reorganized this page to place the birds in taxonomic order according to Clements and AviSys after the top photos of recent contributions. If you notice any errors, please let me know. I've never birded in Africa, Europe, or Asia, and am trying to figure these out from my field guides. I'm always grateful for suggestions and corrections.

You can find a lot more information about birding experiences of Americans serving in Iraq at Birding Babylon. It's now a book, too!

Chad Ferrell has some great photos at his Photobucket page.

John Duresky is posting bird stuff in Iraq on his blog. John also started a brand new Yahoo Group for birders in Iraq.

If you had photos here that have suddenly disappeared, please let me know--I think I overwrote one of the recent galleries and lost some photos.

Here's a checklist of Iraq birds

Recent additions:

	William McVicker sent a series of photos and 2 videos of this interesting pigeon he saw for a while at his base north of Tikrit. It seems to be a Trumpeter Pigeon. William speculates that it may have been one of Saddam's birds. You can see William McVicker's pigeon gallery here.
	Ives Chapman took the photo of himself on the left. He writes, "I am stationed at LSA Anaconda (Balad Air Base), I was walking to work one morning last July and found this parakeet on the ground.  It was lame, so I picked it up and brought it in.  Me and my buddies gave it water, sunflower seeds, and later brought grapes back from the dining facility.  The grapes did the trick, it loved them.  After two days, it suddenly flew off.  Good luck, Bird." And good luck to you, Ives, and all the other soldiers giving so much right now. Be safe.
Dan Britt took these photos of rooks on Christmas Day.
Coots by Dan Britt	Crested Lark by Dan Britt	Gulls by Dan Britt
Gulls by Dan Britt	Magpie by Dan Britt	Rooks by Dan Britt
Rook by Dan Britt	Scorpion! By Dan Britt	White-breasted Kingfisher by Dan Britt
White-breasted Kingfishers by Dan Britt
White-breasted Kingfisher by Dan Britt	White Wagtails by Dan Britt
White Wagtails by Dan Britt
This Eurasian Collared-Dove was pretty resourceful! Rita Wellborn, who sent the photos, notes that the nest is on an antenna. Rita and her friend Cathy "built her the 'cabana.'"
Rita writes, "The Kestrel had a hurt wing and was cared for by our guys in Vector Control.  He/she was and young bird and was released back to the wild after mending." The photos show Rita in the blue and red striped shirt and Cathy in the light blue.
William McVicker sent these photos of this flocking bird. Any guesses?		Daniel Zinder sent this photo of a Bluethroat.
Pygmy Cormorants. Photos by Dan Zinder
Pigeons in Iraq are the exact same species as pigeons here, only they're native there. Ironically, pigeons, which are doves, have done a great deal to help militaries around the world, saving lives and carrying critical messages. Real hawks don't do anything to help militaries except, in a few rare cases, to serve as a mascot. These three photos are by William McVicker.
Coot by Dan Zinder.	Common Sandpiper photo by Daniel Zinder	Gray Wagtail photo by Dan Zinder
Red-wattled Plover by Laurie Haak.	Oh, dear. Laurie Haak sent this photo, noting "This is a species unique to northern Iraq... Fountainus statuarius. As you can see, this species is HIGHLY sexually dimorphic." I'm not quite sure where to enter it in taxonomic order.	This gorgeous heron photo is by Daniel Zinder
		When you're far away from home, unfamiliar birds can be extremely confusing. Dan Britt asked me about this "mystery bird," but figured it out just as my UK friend Jeremy Barker confirmed the identification as an Indian Roller.
Black Scorpion photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt	Butterfly photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt	Crested Lark photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
Eurasian Collared Dove and nest photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt		House Sparrow photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
	These four Magpie photos by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
Rock Pigeon photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt	Scorpion photo by Daniel Britt	White-eared Bulbul photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
Magpie by Dan Britt	Mystery bird by Dan Britt	Rock Pigeon photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Dan Britt
Spur-winged Plover and detail; Daniel Britt		Mystery Bird by Dan Britt
Red-wattled Plover and Detail of first photo; Daniel Britt		White-eared Bulbuls by Daniel Britt
Crested Lark photos by Daniel Britt		White-eared Bulbul photo by Daniel Britt
White-eared Bulbul in eucalyptus tree. Photos by Ken Ebert		Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Photo by Daniel Britt
Cpl. Theo Bowers took these photos of Black Francolins or, as his buddies and he were, perhaps more aptly, calling them, "Iraqi Flying Chickens."		Cpl. Theo Bowers's mystery bird--Daniel Britt thinks it's probably a White-breasted Kingfisher.
Geese in Camp Fallujah. Photos by Rich Youtes who writes, "When I got to Camp Fallujah in Nov of 2005 there were 2 geese and 2 ducks. In December 3 more geese showed up. Now there are 19 geese and one duck. We don't know what happened to the other duck but the 5 geese multiplied to nineteen. This is a marine base and the marines love them."		Dan Zinder sent this photo of a White-winged Tern.
Rufous-backed Bush-Robin John Duresky	Bee-eater by John Duresky	Lesser Gray Shrike by Dan Zinder
Barn Owl photos by Mark Hoyne		Red-wattled Plover, John Duresky
Eric Sutherland sent this photo of the Baghdad Greylag Geese--lots of people are interested in this little flock!	John Cole sent this photo of a pair of Greylag Geese in Baghdad with their goslings.	Rufous Bush Robin photo by John Duresky

Birds in taxonomic order

Randy Corey writes that this Pgymy Cormorant "was about half the size of any other I have seen. It was also much more likely to take flight than any Cormorant I have seen...[It's] apparently one that is at least threatened in most of it's range. I see one or two almost every day in the ponds or ditches. I borrowed a camera and took a couple of pictures but they look pretty small, even though I was pretty close.
Geese by Mikey Stice who writes, "These geese started standing in front of the gate to the palace you see in the background because soldiers would bring bread and chips back from the chowhall and feed to them. It was quite amusing because they would just stand there in the road all day long and wouldn't move for the HMMWV trucks. They ended up posting a sign with the geese' picture on it proclaiming: Guard of the Month, because they were so diligent in their post at the security gate."		The geese have a family! Photo sent by John Cole.
Eric Sutherland added this photo of the geese. They're Greylag Geese, but probably feral ones, well adapted to living by people.	Geese in Camp Fallujah. Photos by Rich Youtes who writes, "When I got to Camp Fallujah in Nov of 2005 there were 2 geese and 2 ducks. In December 3 more geese showed up. Now there are 19 geese and one duck. We don't know what happened to the other duck but the 5 geese multiplied to nineteen. This is a marine base and the marines love them."
Little Egret by Laurie Haak
John Cole took these photos--lots of his friends were also enjoying this Black-crowned Night-Heron. Sarah Brooke writes about this bird, "We would throw bread on the ledge to get the eelcats to come up so he would go after them. It was our only way to actually get him to come out so we could see him. For the longest time all we would see is this bird peeking around the corner. He is an odd bird with an impressive wing span." John has lots of other Iraq photos here.
Marsh Harrier , by Matt Stevens.
Harrier by Tim Durham--Killian Mullarney notes that it is a "Pallid or a Montagu's (it has a comparatively 'pointed' wing-tip, with just three 'finger's') but telling these two apart in this plumage (for me at least) would require a better image."
Bonelli's Eagle, in flight. Photo by Matt Stevens.
Steppe Eagle photo taken by Brian Cochran and sent by Harry Dollahan (ID help from Jeremy Barker)
Kestrel by Alan Conilogue	Juvenile Kestrel photos by Mark Kolle
Kestrel -- 6 photos by Ray Decker
Black Francolin--photo by James W. Lewis	Cpl. Theo Bowers took these photos of Black Francolins or, as his buddies and he were, perhaps more aptly, calling them, "Iraqi Flying Chickens."
Flying Black-winged Stilts by Alan Conilogue	Black-winged Stilt by Alan Conilogue
Red-wattled Plover by Laurie Haak.
Common Moorhen photo by Dan Zinder
Pied Avocet (also called the Avocet) by Alan Conilogue
White-tailed Plover photos by John Duresky
Spur-winged Plover by John Duresky	Spur-winged Plover by John Duresky
Spur-winged Plover and detail; Daniel Britt
Red-wattled Plovers by Alan Conilogue
Red-wattled Plover by Alan Conilogue	Red-wattled Plover Photo by Terry Bryant.	Red-wattled Plover, F. John Duresky
6 Red-wattled Plovers by Chad Ferrell
Red-wattled Plover and Detail of first photo; Daniel Britt
Common Snipe by Alan Conilogue (The American species was recently split from this one, and the American one is now called Wilson's Snipe again.)
Green Sandpiper by Alan Conilogue
Gulls by Tim Durham (If you know what species, please email me.)
White-winged Tern by Daniel Zinder
Common Wood Pigeons By Chad Farrell
Eurasian Collared Dove by Tim Durham	Eurasian Collared Dove photo by Matt Stevens	Eurasian Collared Dove--photo by James W. Lewis
Eurasian Collared Dove photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
Laughing Dove (aka Palm Dove) by Alan Conilogue
Peach-faced Lovebird by Glenn Krise *
Barn Owl by Tim Durham	Baby Barn Owl photo by Mark Kolle
Barn Owl photos by Mark Hoyne
Scops Owl (most likely Pallid Scops Owl, but possibly Eurasian) by James W. Lewis
6 photos of Little Owl by Chad Farrell
White-breasted Kingfisher (center photo is detail from left photo) by Ray Decker
White-throated Kingfisher and Pied Kingfisher. Photo by Ray Decker.	Pied Kingfisher by Ray Decker (right is detail of left photo)
Pied Kingfisher photos by Ray Decker
Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater by Alan Conilogue	Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater photo by Daniel Fain	Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Photo by Daniel Britt
European Bee-Eater--by Angela Kendall and sent by Laurie Haak.	European Bee-Eater by James W. Lewis	European Bee-Eater by Laurie Haak
European Bee-Eaters photographed by Peter Park and sent by Dan Zinder.	European Bee-Eaters by Chad Farrell
European Rollers by Chad Farrell
European Rollers by Chad Farrell
Indian Roller by Daniel Fain ***
		These five photos are of an Indian Roller, photographed by Dan Britt.
Hoopoe by Tim Durham	Hoopoe by Tracy Banister	Hoopoe by Laurie Haak
Wryneck photos by Dan Zinder
Crested Lark photos by Daniel Britt
Crested Lark by Tim Durham	Crested Lark by James W. Lewis	Crested Lark photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
Barn Swallows by Laurie Haak
White Wagtail, photos by Ray Decker
Yellow Wagtail by Alan Conilogue *	Yellow Wagtail by Alan Conilogue
White-eared Bulbul photo by Matt Stevens	White-eared Bulbul--photo by James W. Lewis	White-eared Bulbul photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
White-eared Bulbul by Ray Decker		White-eared Bulbuls by Daniel Britt
White-eared Bulbul in eucalyptus tree. Photos by Ken Ebert		White-eared Bulbul photo by Daniel Britt
Spotted Flycatcher photo by Dan Zinder
Whinchat photos by Dan Zinder
Isabelline Wheatear photos by Alan Conilogue
Lesser Gray Shrike by Daniel Zinder
Red-backed Shrike photo by Dan Zinder
Red-backed Shrike by Chad Farrell
This Masked Shrike was photographed by Peter Park and sent by Dan Zinder.
Magpie by Laurie Haak	Magpie by Alan Conilogue This one appears to be going through the kind of molt many jays go through. Like the Snipe, America's Black-billed Magpie was recently split from this species.	Magpie by Chad Farrell
Magpies by Chad Farrell
Hooded Crow by Matt Stevens	Hooded Crows by Chad Farrell
Hooded Crows by Chad Farrell
Hooded Crow by Chad Farrell
Mixed group of Hooded and Carrion (Common) Crows ****
House Sparrows by Alan Conilogue	House Sparrow photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt
House Sparrows by Chad Farrell
House Sparrows by Tim Durham
Flowers by Tim Durham	Really cool grasshopper photo by Shannon Grauman, sent by Daniel Britt

*Glenn Krise wrote about this Peach-faced Lovebird "that flew up to our Company area. No idea what it was but it sure did bring happiness to the folks that were able to see it." Peach-faced Lovebirds (a popular pet species in the US) are native to Africa but not to Iraq. I've not seen one with the beak this color or this strong of an eye ring, so let me know if it's another species.

***Lynea Hinchman helped me with this one. She wrote, " based on structure, bill color and shape, and plumage, it is safe to conclude that it is Coracias benghalensis; common name: Indian Roller." She sent two links, one from the World Bird Guide and one from Swarovski birding pages. She adds, " I observed this species a little over a year ago when I was in Thailand. I should also tell you that it is known as a Blue Jay in some parts of its range."

**** Matt Stevens writes: "It is interesting that the common crows and hooded crows are in the same groups. They feed together and scavenge together. If any other birds (gulls, magpies, whatever) try to come in the crows chase them off. I guess crows do not recognize color or at least do not use it for recognition of competitors."

For identifying birds in Iraq, highly recommended is R. F. Porter, S. Christensen, P. Schiermacker-Hansen's Field Guide to Birds of the Middle East

Also Killian Mullarney, Lars Svensson, Dan Zetterstrom, Peter J. Grant's Birds of Europe

And a very nice (if not entirely complete) photographic guide is Paul Sterry's Birds of the Mediterranean.