English Abstract
Abstract :
Bahrain is a cluster of islands in the mid-section of the Arabian Gulf that serves as an
important wintering and stop-over ground for many migratory shorebirds in the Central Asian
Flyway (CAF). However, natural and anthropogenic factors have had a significant impact on these
ecosystems over the last few decades. Long-term, systematic studies based on standardized survey
observations are needed to understand the population dynamics and diversity changes of shorebirds
in these critical sites. We systematically surveyed the shorebird population and community in
Bahrain between 2010 January to 2021 December. This is the first comprehensive study from the
entire Kingdom of Bahrain, and covered 13 sites over 12 years to establish the results. A total of
39 species were encountered during the study period from all 13 sites in Bahrain, of which 27 species
were common and regular migrants to all the study sites; these were selected to analyze the population
trend. Five species represented 77% or more of the total wintering shorebird population. All the
shorebird species assessed exhibited significant declining trends over the years, and majority of
them had over 1% relative abundance. Shorebirds in Bahrain were severely threatened at these sites,
indicating that their population trend in the area could be crucially affected. Further conservation
efforts are needed, aided by an understanding of the mechanisms driving the decline and diversity
changes of shorebirds in the most stressed coastal regions of Bahrain. Further studies organized
throughout the country’s coasts may aid in establishing improved conservation measures to protect
the shorebirds of the CAF in Bahrain.
Keywords: shorebird; conservation; intertidal habitats; Bahrain; wintering grounds
