The Arabian Waxbill is an endemic
species of Arabia and occurs in the south and west of the country where it is
one of the most difficult endemics to see. Phil Roberts and I managed to see up
to ten birds in a wadi in Wadi Thee Gazelle, where the birds were initially
seen on a loose telephone wire and then later coming down to drink from small
pools created by the high rainfall this spring in the mountains. The birds seen
included a minimum of four juveniles suggesting breeding had taken place
nearby. The most northern records are from Wadi al Sailah, southern Hejaz at
1700 metres, furthest north record. It is a rare and local breeding resident on
the Tihama and southern Red Sea coast where it frequents reed beds and thick
bush country. Has been seen in the Asir mountains to 2000 metres at Raydah
Escarpment farm and Tanoumah. The species is described as rare in southern
Saudi Arabia and the population is suspected to be in decline due to habitat
loss as a result of the increasing use of modern agricultural techniques. They
are highly social, and occur from 250-2,500 m in fertile cultivated Wadis,
plains, rocky hillsides and terraced slopes, usually with a dense cover of
trees and bushes and almost always near water. The species roosts communally in
this dense vegetation, and recently fledged juveniles have been recorded in
May. It has become closely associated with regularly irrigated agricultural
areas with flowing water.
