Rare Sooty Gull sighted in Kuwait for first time
Kuwaiti birdwatchers Omar Al-Shaheen, Abdulrahman Al-Sarhan and Hamoud Al-Shayji have recorded the Sooty Gull in Kuwait for the first time, marking the species’ first confirmed national record.
Al-Shaheen, a birdwatcher at the Environment Public Authority, told KUNA on Thursday that the bird was observed and photographed by the three birdwatchers recently in Kuwait Bay.
He said the sighting highlights the health of Kuwait’s marine environment and its biodiversity, saying the species has been added to the country’s official bird list, bringing the total number of recorded species to 426.
He noted that the sooty gull breeds on islands and coastal areas of the Red Sea and occurs in the southern Arabian Gulf, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, southern Pakistan and along the East African coast. – Kuna
