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This page lists books about birds and birdwatching in Egypt.

The books are listed by publication date with the most recent at the top.

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Birds of the Nile Valley

Dominique Navarro with John Wyatt

American University in Cairo Press

2013

An 8 page waterproof foldout guide: "Tourists are not the only foreigners who flock to Egypt to find solace in Egypt's eternal sunlight and indulge in the lush abundance of the Nile River - migrating birds from the north come too, and visitors luxuriating on one of Egypt's gorgeous beaches, touring historic monuments, or enjoying a cruise down the Nile are bound to encounter a wide variety of bird life. Water-resistant and compact, this handy guide to the resident and seasonal birds of Egypt is a perfect reference for birdwatchers keen and casual."

Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt

Editor: Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer

2012

"Issued in conjunction with an exhibit at the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago, this is the first comprehensive study of birds in ancient Egyptian society, economy, art, and religion. Essays address the role of birds in the religious landscape, their use in hieroglyphic and Coptic scripts, birds as protective symbols, as decorative motifs, and as food. A group of essays on "Egyptian Birds and Modern Science" presents the newest forensic research on bird mummies. Other articles address bird behavior as shown in Egyptian art and the present state of avifauna in the Nile Valley."

Finding Birds in Egypt

Dave Gosney

2011

26 page guide to birdwatching sites in Egypt. An updated and expanded version of the original 1993 publication.

A Photographic Guide to Birds of Egypt and the Middle East

David Cottridge and Richard Porter

2001

"This is a compact, clear, and authoritative bird identification guide for any birdwatcher visiting or residing in Egypt or traveling around the Middle East. Egypt is an increasingly popular destination for birdwatchers, and has a rich and varied bird life; 252 species are described here in detail, from the larks and sandgrouse of the barren deserts to the spectacular array of water birds in the wetlands of the Delta. With helpful thumbnail silhouettes, a map showing the best birding localities, up-to-date tips on birdwatching, and information on bird biology and behavior, this guide is an invaluable aid for any visiting birdwatcher."

Directory of Important Bird Areas in Egypt

S. M. Baha el Din

1999

112 page book that identifies 34 sites that meet the Important Bird Area (IBA) criteria.

The Breeding Birds of The Northern Red Sea Islands, Egypt

Andrew Grieve and Linda Millington

1999

21 page booklet.

Ornithological studies in Egyptian wetlands 1989/90. FORE-report 94.01

Editor: P.L. Meininger & G.A.M. Atta

Working Group International Waterbird and Wetland Research

1994

Common Birds of Egypt

Bertel Bruun and Sherif Baha El Din

1990

Describes and illustrates 100 of the commoner birds of Egypt. Also includes a checklists of birds of Egypt and introductory notes on habitat, migration, conservation and birdwatching sites.

The Birds of Egypt

Steven M. Goodman & Peter L. Meininger

Oxford University Press

1989

This work describes the species found in the area, both resident and migratory and provides details of their occurrence, distribution and breeding patterns. The subject is set in its historical context and the long history of Egyptian ornithology, which stretches back to the Predynastic Period (4500-3000 BC), is outlined. The changes in the environment and their effects on the avifauna are considered, together with the effects of hunting and of conservation and protection.

Birds of the Middle East and North Africa

P.A.D. Hollom, R.F. Porter, S. Christensen, I. Willis

Poyser

1988

"A field guide to the birds of the Middle East and North Africa from Morocco to Iran. It covers 700 breeding, wintering, migratory and vagrant species, with over 350 illustrated in colour and the distribution of 510 shown in distribution maps."

The Birds Of The Egyptian Western Desert

Steven M. Goodman, Peter L. Meininger, Wim C. Mullie

University of Michigan

1986

Abstract: "Information is reviewed for nine separate oases or massifs in Egypt's Western Desert, an area which is poorly known ornithologically. After a brief description and review of ornithological work conducted in each region, an annotated summary of the avifauna is given. A total of 242 species have been recorded in the area, and of these, six are former nesting species, 14 are doubtful or unsubstantiated, and 47 are extant breeding species. A zoogeographical comparison is made of breeding species inhabiting desert regions of north-central and northeastern Africa and central Arabia. The Red Sea does not act as a barrier to the dispersal of desert birds between northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Desert reclamation projects have resulted in the creation of new habitats which appear to be related to patterns of colonization."

Survey of waterbirds on Egyptian wetlands, autumn 1981

C.A. Bennet, R.G. Bijlsma & R. Stouthamer

Working Group International Waterbird and Wetland Research

1982

Nicoll's Birds of Egypt

Colonel R. Meinertzhagen

Hugh Rees Ltd

1930

Two volume (700 pages) work with 31 colour plates, a colour frontispiece and a number of black and white photogravure plates and illustrations.

This work was started by Michael J. Nicoll, the Assistant Director of the Zoological Gardens of Giza, who died before he could complete the task. It was completed by Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen.

Handlist Of The Birds Of Egypt

M.J. Nicoll

Zoological Service, Ministry Of Public Works

Government Press, Cairo

1919

From the introduction:

"Since the late Captain G. E. Shelley published his Handbook on the Birds of Egypt in 1872 no scientific work dealing entirely with the avifauna of this country has been produced. Shelley enumerates 352 species as inhabiting Egypt, but many of these he rightly casts some doubt on and only includes them on the authority of older writers, and one - the ostrich - is extinct in the country. In 1875 Mr. J. H. Gurney spent six months bird-collecting in Egypt, and the results of his trip were published in 1876 in his excellent work entitled Rambles of a Naturalist, in which the author treats of 220 species from Egypt. Short papers have since been published in the Ibis and other publications dealing with the birds of Egypt, but it is unnecessary to enumerate them here. For the past thirteen years I have been collecting specimens and notes with the intention of publishing a handlist on the avifauna of the country. Shortly after the outbreak of war, owing to the presence of many persons in the E.E.E. interested in ornithology, and the consequent stream of questions re the identification of birds seen by them, it was decided to bring out as complete a list as possible of the birds of Egypt, giving the status and adding a short description of each form. This was practically completed three years ago, but owing to shortage of paper in the country it was found impossible to put this book in the press until quite recently."

Egyptian Birds For The Most Part Seen In The Nile Valley

Charles Whymper

1909

Opening lines:

"Pliny declares that it was by watching the flight of birds in general, and of the Kite in particular, that men first conceived the idea of steering their boats and ships with a tail or rudder, for, says he, '* these birds by the turning and steering by their tails showed in the air what was needful to be done in the deep." Nowhere can the aerial movements of birds be better studied than on the Nile, and as one's eye becomes trained it is just by the varying individual methods of flight that one is often able to identify the particular species of birds. This is to the most casual observer self-evident in those birds that fly close, near, or over one's head ; but it is astonishing how, as the eye gets trained, even a faint speck high up in mid-air can be absolutely identified by some peculiarity of shape and move- ment. On Plate 2 are some half-dozen different birds depicted as in flight, to assist the reader to identify the birds he will frequently see.

No. 1 is the ordinary Kite of Egypt. Seen as it is with us everywhere. Its most distinctive characteristics are the forked shape of its tail, and its familiarity with man, the latter leading it to have no sort of fear of flying near one, so near that its yellow beak and ever-restless eye, as it turns its head this way or that, can easily be seen, whilst its tail, moving in sympathy, sweeps it round to right or left."

Rambles Of A Naturalist In Egypt & Other Countries

With An Analysis Of The Claims Of Certain Foreign Birds To Be Considered British, And Other Ornithological Notes

J.H. Gurney

1876

The main section of the book, 160 pages, is Six Months' Bird Collecting In Egypt. This includes an annotated checklist for the coutry which covers 220 species.

The complete contents of the book are:

• To Russia and Back
• My Journal in the Algerian Sahara
• Notes during the Franco-German War
• Six Months' Bird Collecting in Egypt
• Passing Notes on the Birds of Italy
• Analysis of the Claims of Certain Birds to be accounted British
• Additions to the Avifauna of Durham
• Netting Sea-Birds on the Wash
• Short Notes on British Birds
• Gibraltar

A Handbook To The Birds Of Egypt

G.E. Shelley

John Van Voorst

1872

From the introduction:

"I shall commence with a short account of my personal experiences in Egypt, in order to give the reader some idea of the nature of the country and the best localities for the ornithologist and sportsman to visit. I shall then give a more complete list than has been hitherto published, with a description of each species, of the birds which are undoubtedly to be found in Egypt between the Mediterranean and the Second Cataract, to which limits my observations have been confined. In the following pages the greater portion of the information given is derived from my own personal observation, the result of three ornithological tours which I have made in Egypt, and from a collection of nearly a thousand skins which are now in my possession. In my descriptions of the birds, I have endeavoured to point out the characters by which they may be most easily recognized, and have placed in italics the characteristic points by which allied species may be distinguished from one another. I have given plates of a few of the most interesting species which have come under my notice ; some of these have never been figured before ; and in order to facilitate the naming and classification of the specimens when brought home, I have referred at the end of each description to some good figure of the species, selecting as often as possible from the four following works : - Gould's 'Birds of Asia,' his 'Birds of Europe,' and the works on the latter subject by Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser, and Dr. Bree."