The Greater Flamingo is an uncommon but
widespread migrant and winter visitor to all coasts with a few in summer.
Numbers have increased steadily over the last ten years with birds common in
certain key locations such as Sabkhat Al Fasl. Small numbers are also seen
every winter in the Al Khobar area where Arnold Uy took the below photos that
he has kindly allowed me to use on my website. The birds spend much of the time
far out from the coast and only really come close to shore when the tide is
fully in. Numbers at key sites have reached 5000 birds in recent years and even
some inland records have been noted from both Riyadh and Tabuk. A bird with a
plastic ring was seen at Al Khobar a few years ago that had bred in Turkey so
presumably this is where most of birds originate from and would explain the occurrence
of some inland birds.
