Field Guide to Birds of the Middle East

The ultimate field guide to the birds of the Middle East, an indispensable companion for any traveller to the region

The Middle East – the region stretching from Cyprus and the Levant to Iran, including Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula, plus Socotra – has a wonderfully broad and diverse avifauna, featuring a host of wintering and passage migrants, enigmatic breeders, and even a few endemics that occur nowhere else.

This authoritative book covers more than 895 species recorded in the Middle East, including details of all regular visitors and breeding species, from the Purple Sunbird and Syrian Serin to the Northern Bald Ibis, Persian Shearwater and Brown Fish Owl. Featuring 180 stunning colour plates by three of the world’s leading bird illustrators, this practical guide also includes concise species accounts describing key identification features, status, range, habitat and voice with accurate distribution maps for each species.

Written by three leading lights in regional ornithology and conservation and now in its third edition, this field guide is an essential reference for any birder living in or visiting the Middle East.

I find the layout of Helm field guides to be particularly good and this is no exception, with the species accounts, distribution maps and plates easy on the eye and not too crowded … If you're birding in this wonderful part of the world anytime soon – or have enjoyed previous trips to the Middle East – then I heartily recommend grabbing a copy. Birdwatch
The illustrations are of the same high quality as in the second edition, and I was surprised to see just how many plates had either been repainted or expanded to take advantage of the latest advances in identification. The text remains concise but informative and has also been updated throughout. QR codes have been added and link directly to recordings of each species in xeno-canto.com – a neat addition … Birds of the Middle East remains the standard field reference to the wonderful birds of this magical region. British Birds
The Middle East remains an exciting and beautiful region, where it will hopefully one day be possible for everyone to travel around overland and in complete freedom. The people and birds of the area deserve it. This book is an ideal travel companion. Dutch Birding
The is certainly the best available field guide to the birds of the Middle East. The species accounts are concise yet detailed, and the maps and illustrations are excellent. It is relatively small, easily fitting into a small bag, and is easy to use. And there is always the option of buying the eBook if you are worried about weight. Frank Lambert

Richard Porter’s name is synonymous with conservation in the Middle East. He has been involved with birds in the region since 1966, and is an adviser on bird conservation for BirdLife International. He is the author or co-author of several books on the Middle East and the groundbreaking Flight Identification of European Raptors.

AbdulRahman Al-Sirhan is a Kuwaiti birder, ornithologist and photographer. His passion for birds began at the age of 7, and he later set up a photography blog which featured his photos of birds in the region. AbdulRahman now leads guided bird tours in Kuwait and was also involved in the translation of the Helm Field Guide Birds of the Middle East into Arabic.

Oscar Campbell is a naturalist, bird conservationist and chemistry teacher. For more than a decade, he has been chairman of the Emirates Bird Records Committee. In 2013, he was awarded the Sheikh Mubarak bin Mohammed Prize for Natural History.

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