27 October 2022

White-throated Kingfisher - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area I came across and photographed a White-throated Kingfisher. The bird was calling loudly, but I did not see a second bird. This bird has been around the whole of the year in this area and the species is now resident in very small numbers in the Jubail area. It has been noted regularly throughout the year in two different sites in Jubail in 2022. This species has spread rapidly over the last ten years and was classed as a vagrant to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia as recently as fifteen years ago. Birds breed commonly in Riyadh, 400 km to the west of Jubail, so have presumably spread from this area eastwards.