Israel
Israel occupies a narrow but exceptionally varied landscape between the Mediterranean Sea and Jordan Rift Valley. Mediterranean hills and coastal plains in the north and centre transition southward into the arid Negev Desert, while the Jordan Valley descends to the Dead Sea, the lowest exposed land surface on Earth. The north includes the wooded hills of Galilee and the Hula Valley, whereas southern Israel contains rocky deserts, wadis and the mountains around Eilat. This steep climatic gradient creates a remarkable variety of habitats within relatively short distances.
Overview
Israel is internationally famous for bird migration, lying on a major bottleneck connecting Eurasia and Africa. Vast numbers of raptors, storks, pelicans and passerines pass through each spring and autumn. Eilat is one of the region's best-known migration sites and also provides access to desert specialties such as Arabian Warbler, Hooded Wheatear and Sand Partridge. The Hula Valley is renowned for enormous concentrations of migrating and wintering Common Cranes, while the Negev supports sandgrouse, larks and desert raptors. Israel has a well-developed birding community, reserves, ringing stations and specialist guides. However, the ongoing regional conflict can substantially affect safety and access, especially near Gaza, Lebanon and other border areas, so current official travel advice is essential.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-spectacled Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthopygos | 61.5% | 50.3% | 56.7% | 57.1% | 62.9% | 65.0% | 62.9% | 63.3% | 65.5% | 65.6% | 64.6% | 64.3% | 59.7% |
| Rock Pigeon Columba livia | 59.0% | 54.1% | 53.9% | 51.4% | 56.2% | 59.8% | 60.2% | 63.8% | 65.1% | 62.5% | 61.7% | 60.0% | 59.5% |
| Hooded Crow Corvus cornix | 58.3% | 59.5% | 57.5% | 48.5% | 55.2% | 60.9% | 58.8% | 56.8% | 57.7% | 58.4% | 60.8% | 63.6% | 62.5% |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto | 57.3% | 38.4% | 48.5% | 52.9% | 60.8% | 63.8% | 61.4% | 64.3% | 66.5% | 63.2% | 58.2% | 56.6% | 53.0% |
| Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis | 56.3% | 47.5% | 49.3% | 50.3% | 59.4% | 62.9% | 59.4% | 63.2% | 65.6% | 60.7% | 54.9% | 52.2% | 49.6% |
| House Sparrow Passer domesticus | 55.6% | 43.1% | 46.8% | 49.3% | 60.9% | 66.3% | 64.7% | 65.9% | 61.6% | 54.0% | 54.3% | 52.0% | 48.0% |
| Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis | 53.4% | 40.7% | 49.9% | 48.5% | 51.7% | 54.8% | 52.5% | 59.9% | 62.2% | 56.7% | 55.2% | 55.8% | 52.4% |
| Common Myna Acridotheres tristis | 51.6% | 46.7% | 44.3% | 38.5% | 48.3% | 55.4% | 56.0% | 60.0% | 62.3% | 55.8% | 53.5% | 50.7% | 47.5% |
| Palestine Sunbird Cinnyris osea | 43.2% | 36.5% | 42.5% | 42.4% | 44.9% | 45.2% | 42.9% | 40.3% | 40.4% | 47.7% | 47.2% | 47.0% | 41.5% |
| Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus | 40.1% | 27.7% | 31.7% | 30.0% | 36.8% | 41.5% | 41.1% | 49.3% | 51.7% | 43.5% | 45.2% | 42.7% | 40.1% |