MECC urges public to protect migratory birds during autumn season

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) has stressed the importance of protecting migratory birds, preserving their natural habitats and migratory routes, and enhancing the participation of community members in monitoring and documenting their observations, in order to support efforts to preserve biodiversity in the State of Qatar.

On the occasion of World Migratory Bird Day, which falls on the tenth of October every year, the Ministry explained that the participation of community members and bird watchers in monitoring and documenting migratory species and documenting their observations contributes to enriching its biodiversity database, and supporting scientific studies related to migratory routes and changes in bird numbers, distribution sites and the environments that depend on them.

She pointed out that the autumn migration season witnesses the passage of different numbers and types of birds through the country's airspace, coming from Europe, North Asia, Siberia and Central Asia, on their way to the wintering areas in Africa and South Asia, while some species settle in the State of Qatar during the winter.

She stressed that the geographical location of the State of Qatar, within the Afro-Eurasian migration network and the Central Asian route, makes it an important stop for the comfort and feeding of migratory birds during their seasonal journeys, through major routes linking Europe, Asia and Africa.

The ministry indicated that the autumn migration movement gradually begins with the end of the summer season, and increases during the months of September and October, as multiple types of birds cross the country's airspace, including hawks, flies, warblers and swallows, in addition to waders, birds of prey, sea, ducks, and wild and desert birds.

She pointed out that the early stages of the autumn migration season witness the emergence of several species, including the blue-cheeked warwar, known locally as "Saqraqa", the whistle, and the European squirrel, known as "Khudairi", while other species stop in Qatari environments to rest and restore energy before continuing their journeys, or settle in them during the winter.

The Ministry stressed that the diversity of natural environments in the country provides important sites for the comfort and nutrition of migratory birds, foremost of which is the Ammunition Reserve, which includes mangrove trees, mudflats and sabkhas, which provide suitable environments for a large number of bird species, including the eagle.

She added that Bin Ghannam Island and the surrounding coastal areas are one of the sites that witness gatherings of flamingos and coastal birds, while the northern coasts of the country represent important sites for the birds to rest after crossing the waters of the Gulf.

She pointed out that sabkhas and coastal areas provide important feeding areas for wading birds, including the titwa and the plover, because of their abundance of worms, mollusks and crustaceans that appear with the movement of the tides, which helps these birds to regain their energy before continuing their migratory journeys.

In a related context, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change stressed the importance of adhering to the regulations regulating bird hunting, explaining that the hunting season for the year 2026 started on September 1 and will continue until February 15, 2027, in accordance with the Ministerial Decision No. (7) of 2026 on determining the hunting season of birds that may be hunted and the means and tools authorized to be used.

The decision specified ten species that are allowed to be hunted, namely the Houbara Bustard, the Karwan, the Duck, the Blue Rock Duck, the Songbird Ghee "Rakhukh", the um Al-Sa'u "Safara", the Circle Lark, the Sand Bulaq "Mudqi", the Badia Bulaq "Hutaibi", and the European Eagle "Maveteran", while it is prohibited to hunt any other species of animals, birds or wild reptiles that are not mentioned in the decision.

The Ministry stressed the need to adhere to the species, dates and authorized means of hunting, and not to use pagers that mimic the sounds of birds or any other unauthorized means, as well as to preserve the birds' gathering sites and their comfort, and to avoid practices that may affect them or their natural environments.

She called on community members and bird watching enthusiasts to contribute to the protection of migratory species and the preservation of the natural environments on which they depend during their annual journeys, and to avoid disturbing them or approaching their gathering sitesIn addition to participating in the monitoring and documentation of species observations, in order to enhance efforts to conserve biodiversity and the sustainability of ecosystems in the State of Qatar.

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