With a good tourist infrastructure and many historical sites to visit, Egypt is a popular destination. Luckily for birdwatchers, tourist destinations such as the Pyramids, the Red Sea and the Upper Nile coincide with important locations for birdwatching. Its strategic position with a land bridge and short sea crossings between Africa and Asia ensures that Egypt is an important country for migrants and wintering species.

The climate is desert with hot, dry summers and moderate winters. The Nile supports most of the country's wetlands including the Bitter Lakes; Wadi El Natrun; Lake Qarun; Wadi El Rayan Lakes and Lake Nasser. Oases are the only source of water over much of the western desert. Egypt has no endemic or restricted range species although White-eyed Gull is endemic to the Red Sea.

There are 18 species with relatively small world distributions for which Egypt constitutes an important part of their range. Lake Bardawil has large wintering populations of Greater Flamingo; Gebel Maghara holds seven breeding lark species including Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Desert Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark and Dunn's Lark; Quseima includes two drinking water sources which are important for Pin-tailed, Black-bellied, Spotted and Crowned Sandgrouse. Wadi Gerafi is one of the few areas in Egypt for MacQueen's Bustard.

Text supplied by the African Bird Club

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull © Peter Nash

Showing the 30 Most Recent Trip Reports Posted

Dahab, Egypt, author Mark Graham (added September 7, 2012)

Egypt - 12th - 22nd July 2006, author Mark Lopez (added November 18, 2006)
(Cairo, Sinai, the Red Sea coast, Abu Simbel and Luxor)

South-east Egypt (Gebel Elba) April 3rd - 10th 2010, author Istvan Moldovan (added May 5, 2010)
(Egypt, Gebel Elba, Jabal Elba, Rosy-patched Shrike, Lappet-faced Vulture, Fulvous Babbler, Western Palearctic)

Egypt - 3rd - 10th May 2013, author Bob Swann (added May 20, 2013)
(Hamata, Aswan, Abu Simbel)

Egypt & Petra - Apr-May 2008, author Rockjumper Birding Tours (link created March 7, 2011)

Egypt & Petra - Apr 2010, author Rockjumper Birding Tours (link created March 7, 2011)

Egypt - February - March 2019, author Garry Rowe (added March 6, 2019)
(Hurghada & Luxor plus Gefton Island)

Egypt, South Sinai - 6th - 13th March 2010, author Nicola Scatassi (added March 30, 2010)
(Sharm, Ras Mohammed, Nabq, El Tur, St. Catherine, Feiran, Dahab, Nuweiba, Grey Hypocolius, Great Black-headed Gull, Lichtenstein' s Sandgrouse, Ruppell' s Warbler )

Egypt - Cairo, Abu Simbel & The Red Sea, June 2007, author Richard Bonser (link created March 20, 2008)
(African Skimmer, Pink-backed Pelican, Yellow-billed Stork, African Pied Wagtail, Egyptian Nightjar, Sooty Falcon, Kittlitz’s Plover, Senegal Coucal, Senegal Thick-knee, Lappet-faced Vulture, Crab Plover, Crested Tern, Bridled Tern, White-cheeked Tern)

Winter trip to Sinai, Egypt, 18-28 February 2013, author John Bowler (added March 13, 2013)
(Olive-backed Pipit will be the first record for Egypt)

Egypt: Nile Valley - May 2006, author Erica Klim (added June 3, 2006)
(Abu Simbel, El Abbasa, Luxor)

Winter trip to Egypt, 23rd February - 3rd March 2008, author John Bowler (added July 30, 2008)
(We saw 120 species and had great views of most target species)

Egypt - Sharm-El Sheik, S Sinai - June 3rd - 9th 2008, author Thomas Chinnick (added July 28, 2008)

Egypt Red Sea June 2008, author Maurizio Sighele (link created July 23, 2011)
(Red Sea, Marsa Alam)

Egypt — Sharm el Sheikh, Na’ama Bay and St. Katherine’s Monastery 17th — 24th July 2005, author Richard Bonser (added January 30, 2006)

Egypt, Southern Sinai - October 2010 , author Nicola Scatassi (added January 3, 2011)
(Sharm, Ras Mohammed, Nabq, St. Katherine)

Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh - 24th November - 2nd December 2013., author Graeme Pegram (added February 5, 2014)

Egypt - Birds & History, 27th January - 5th February 2001, author The Travelling Naturalist (link created February 3, 2005)

Egypt - Nile Cruise, 19th - 26th January 2011, author Andrew Walsh (added February 2, 2011)
(Pallas's Gull)

Egypt, Sharm el Sheikh -19th -26th November 2012, author David Ousey (added December 4, 2012)

Egypt - 19th -26th December 2012, author Derek Charlton (added December 30, 2012)
(Sharm-el Sheikh)

Egypt, Sharm el Sheik - 18th - 25th November 2013, author David Ousey (added December 3, 2013)
(Hotel Royal Albatros Modena, Nabq, Sharm el Sheikh )

Egypt, Luxor - 3 –10 December 2012, , author Gary Prescott (added December 22, 2012)
(Striated Heron, White-tailed Plover, Little Green Bee-eater, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Hooded Wheatear, Mourning Wheatear, Brown-necked Raven)

Egypt - Red Sea, Sinai and Nile Valley - September - October 2009, author Paul van Els (added December 20, 2009)
(Hurghada, Cairo, Luxor, Na'ama Bay, Dahab, Saint Catherine, Mount Sinai, White-eyed Gull, Sooty Gull, White-cheeked Tern, Great Crested Tern, Bridled Tern, Crowned Sandgrouse, Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, Sand Partridge, Sooty Falcon, Water Pipit, White-bre)

Egypt - Bird Report 4th-11th April 2002, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 25, 2004)

Short Notes on birding Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt 10th-17th September 2002, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 25, 2004)

Birding opportunities on a Nile cruise - January 2001, author Surfbirds Admin (added August 25, 2004)

Egypt – Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea Coast, 18th – 26th March 2006, author Richard Bonser (added April 27, 2006)
(Cairo, the Nile Valley around Luxor and the Red Sea coast as far south as the administrative border with Sudan)

Notes on a Birding Trip to Taba Heights, Egypt - 29th February – 12th March 2013, author Robert Wemyss (added April 26, 2013)

Setting Targets – 700 species in the Western Palearctic, author Ken Shaw (added April 26, 2008)
(Egypt, Georgia, Turkey, Britain, Pelagics)