Over 400 species of birds live in Iraq. They thrive in the country’s various biomes, including deserts, mountains, and wetlands.
The Chukar is the national bird of Iraq. Other notable species include the Fire-fronted Serin, the Rock Bunting, and the Barn Swallow.
List of Common Birds Found in Iraq
Native Birds
- Azure-winged Magpie
- Barn Swallow
- Black-crowned Crane
- Black-eared Wheatear
- Black-headed Bunting
- Black-headed Gull
- Black Kite
- Black-winged Kite
- Bluethroat
- Chukar
- Common Buzzard
- Common Chaffinch
- Common Chiffchaff
- Common Crane
- Common Hoopoe
- Common Kestrel
- Common Kingfisher
- Common Moorhen
- Common Pheasant
- Common Rosefinch
- Common Sandpiper
- Common Tern
- Corn Crake
- Crested Honey Buzzard
- Crested Lark
- Desert Wheatear
- Eurasian Blackbird
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl
- Eurasian Hobby
- Eurasian Hobby
- Eurasian Jay
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Eurasian Magpie
- Eurasian Reed Warbler
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- European Roller
- European Turtle-dove
- Ferruginous Duck
- Fire-fronted Serin
- Great Crested Grebe
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Great Tit
- Gray Heron
- Grey Wagtail
- Hooded Crow
- House Martin
- House Sparrow
- Indian Roller
- Indian Spotted Eagle
- Isabelline Wheatear
- Laughing Dove
- Lesser Kestrel
- Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
- Lesser Whitethroat
- Little Egret
- Little Owl
- Long-billed Pipit
- Long-tailed Tit
- Mallard
- Mediterranean Gull
- Eurasian Nightjar
- Northern Lapwing
- Northern Wheatear
- Pale Rockfinch
- Pallas’s Sandgrouse
- Red-backed Shrike
- Red-breasted Flycatcher
- Red-necked Falcon
- Rock Bunting
- Rock Partridge
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin
- Saker Falcon
- Sand Martin
- Saxaul Sparrow
- Scaly-breasted Roller
- Short-toed Eagle
- Slender-billed Gull
- Snowfinch
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Spotted Nutcracker
- Steppe Eagle
- Stone Curlew
- Stork-billed Kingfisher
- Striated Bulbul
- Swinhoe’s Pheasant
- Tawny Owl
- Tawny Pipit
- Tree Pipit
- Tristram’s Starling
- Western Marsh Harrier
- White-eared Bulbul
- White Stork
- White-tailed Eagle
- White Wagtail
- Willow Warbler
- Woodlark
- Wood Sandpiper
- Yellow-browed Warbler
- Yellow-legged Gull
- Yellow-throated Bunting
Non-native Birds
- Alpine Swift
- Bearded Vulture
- Black Tern
- Common Merganser
- Common Myna
- European Shag
- Falcated Duck
- Icterine Warbler
- Lanner Falcon
- Lesser Spotted Eagle
- Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse
- Little Gull
- Little Swift
- Namaqua Dove
- Northern Goshawk
- Oriental Pratincole
- Red Knot
- Red Phalarope
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Sandwich Tern
- Speckled Pigeon
- White-faced Whistling-duck
Some of the best places to go birdwatching in Iraq include Falahi Marshes, Hawler Wetlands, Sulaymaniyah Mountains, Khar Touran National Park, and Al-Habbaniyah Lake. The peak birding season is when migratory birds visit the country from November to March. However, as Iraq is a volatile nation, it is essential to consider its current political climate while planning a visit.
