Help Choose Yemen’s National Bird

Yemen is in the process of choosing its national bird.  Of the more than 400 different bird species that are known to occur in Yemen, local experts have narrowed the choice down to four.

1) The Golden-winged Grosbeak (Rhyncostruthus socotranus) is one of the most beautiful of Yemen’s many birds.  Found throughout the western mountains, Al Hawf, and Socotra, there are two forms of this bird which have slight differences in plumage.  Observant people will have noticed Golden-winged Grosbeaks in hilly areas and in wadis where they use their stout beaks to eat small berries and crack tough seeds.

2) The South Arabian Wheatear (Oenanthe lugentoides) is one of the most familiar of Yemen’s birds, and is known to people throughout the mountainous regions of the country.  With its smart black and white plumage the wheatear is instantly recognizable, especially to Yemen’s many farmers as these birds often nest in holes in terrace walls.  Feeding largely on insects, this is a bird that helps protects crops by eating many pests.

3) Arabian Partridge (Alectoris melanocephala) is well-known to many as it lives throughout the country in vegetated wadis and mountain slopes.  Prized by many rural Yemenis as food, a responsible approach to hunting partridges can ensure that these birds will continue to delight and nourish future generations of Yemenis forever.

4) Arabian Woodpecker (Dedrocopos dorae) is a strange little bird that prefers acacia woodlands in the mountains, although it can be found in a wide range of habitats from sea level to more than 2000 meters.  This is the only bird in Arabia that makes its living by pecking holes in the trunks of trees as it searches for insects to eat.  The woodpecker has specially constructed feet and tail feathers that enable it to cling to the sides of trees, and a shock absorber in its head to keep it from damaging its brain as it hammers its pointed beak into tree trunks.