Checklist of the Birds of the Gaza Strip—Palestine

Abdel Fattah N. Abd Rabou^1*, Bashar S. Jarayseh², Lara M. Sirdah³, Mandy M. Sirdah³, Sinaa A. Ababsa⁴, Daoud I. Al-Hali⁵, Ayman W. Dardona⁶, Ashraf A. Shafei¹, Nedal A. Fayyad¹, Abdallah S. Awad⁷, Wael I. Almeshal⁸, Samer S. Abuzerr⁹, Inas A. Abd Rabou¹⁰, Othman A. Abd Rabou¹¹, Mohammed A. Abd Rabou¹², Sabah A. Abu Sharekh¹³, Mohammed R. Al-Agha¹⁴, Maged M. Yassin¹⁵, Abed Al Qader I. Hammad¹⁶, Norman A. Khalaf¹⁷, Walid F. Mohamed¹⁸

¹Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
²Environmental Education Center, Beit Jala, West Bank, Palestine.
³Wildlife Documenter and Photographer, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁴Wildlife Documenter and Photographer, Kafr Kanna, Galilee, Palestine.
⁵Qimmah Secondary School, Jerusalem (Al-Quds), Palestine.
⁶Environment Quality Authority, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁷Center for Desert Agriculture, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
⁸Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁹Department of Medical Sciences, University College of Science & Technology, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹⁰Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, University College of Applied Sciences, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹¹Department of Journalism and Media, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹²Department of GIS, University College of Applied Sciences, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹³Department of School Health, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹⁴Department of Environment and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine.
¹⁵Faculty of Medicine, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹⁶Department of Geography, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹⁷Department of Environmental Research and Media, National Research Center, Palestine.
¹⁸Department of Biological and Geological Sciences, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy, Cairo, Egypt.

DOI: 10.4236/oje.2023.133011                

Abstract

Bird fauna checklists are important tools in ecology, biology, and conservation planning for scientists, stakeholders, and decision-makers. Despite its small area, the Gaza Strip (365 km²) has a relatively large variety of resident and migratory bird fauna. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide an updated checklist of all bird fauna living in or inhabiting the Gaza Strip. Direct field observations using binoculars, continuous visits to zoos, pet stores and biology museums, discussion with bird hunters, follow-up of news and social networking sites, review of scientific publications and photography were the main tools to satisfy the purpose of the study. At least 250 bird species collected from different sources occur in the Gaza Strip and are included in the checklist. This list will not be static, but is inevitably subject to additions and changes in the face of times. The current 250 bird species of the Gaza Strip represent 45.4% of the 551 species of birds living in Palestine. The bird species were found to belong to 21 orders and 61 families. The Passeriformes (passerines) represented the largest order with 96 species of birds (38.4%), followed by the Charadriiformes 54 (21.6%), the Accipitriformes 18 (7.2%), Anseriformes 17 (6.8%) and Pelecaniformes 14 (5.6%), while the other orders represented the remaining percentage (20.4%). With regard to families, the Scolopacidae represented the largest family with 22 species of birds (8.8%), followed by the Anatidae and Accipitridae 17 for each (6.8%), the Muscicapidae 16 (6.4%) and Chariidridae and Fringillidae 11 for each (4.4%), while the other families represented the remaining percentage (62.4%). According to the IUCN regional threat categories, 226 species (90.4%) were Least Concern (LC), 12 (4.8%) were Near Threatened (NT), 6 (2.4%) were Vulnerable (VU), 4 (1.6%) were Endangered (EN) and 2 (0.8%) were Critically Endangered (CR). In conclusion, the study recommends a sustainable control of bird hunting and trafficking in addition to building prestigious centers and museums for studying and documenting birds in the Gaza Strip.

Keywords

Bird Fauna, Checklist, Bird Hunting, Conservation, IUCN Categories, Gaza Strip

1. Introduction

Birds represent the outstanding diversity of vertebrates in the world because they are spread over all the continents and almost no ecosystem is devoid of them [1] [2] . Despite the small area of Palestine (27,000 km²), it is home to nearly 551 bird fauna species inhabiting all kinds of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems [3] [4] . No doubt that the strategic geographic position of Palestine between the three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe contribute much to this amazing diversity of bird fauna. The main migration routes, represented by the coast, the coastal plain, the mountains of Palestine and the Jordan River, play a major role in increasing the numbers of bird species in Palestine [5] . The Gaza Strip, which covers an area of 365 km² (about 1.5% of the total area of Palestine), is located on the southernmost coast of Palestine along the Mediterranean Sea. Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of the Gaza Strip offer different values to bird fauna including mating, nesting, resting, perching, mimicry, protection, and feeding sites [6] - [10] . Despite the growing studies carried out, the number of bird species that occur in the Gaza Strip is unclear with new records being added each period of time.

At present, the birds of the Gaza Strip are exposed to intense hunting. Different classes of bird species are usually trapped or hunted for different purposes including meat, pet raising, trade, and game and sometimes for no apparent reason. Each autumn, many Gazans set up nets along the Mediterranean coast in order to catch the migratory Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) [5] [9] [10] [11] [12] . In fact, there are no red lines for hunting wild birds in the Gaza Strip. Nets, traps, and guns await each bird, posing a threat to the populations of many residents and migratory birds alike. In the Palestinian Territories, several studies have recorded a relatively high proportion of bird fauna, with most of them found in Wadi Gaza Nature Reserve and other similar environments [4] [7] [8] [9] [10] [13] - [23] . Some species of birds were also found mummified and preserved in animal exhibitions and museums in the biology departments of Gaza universities [16] [24] . Recently, Awad et al. [25] revealed the presence of 393 wild bird species in Palestine (West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip) after updating a checklist of 373 bird species issued in 2015 [26] .

Apart from bird surveys, there have been many studies that dealt with the occurrence, ecology, biology, reproductive biology and hunting of certain species of birds in the Gaza Strip. According to literature reviews, the birds studied individually in the Gaza Strip were the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) [11] , Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) [27] , Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) [28] , Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) [29] , Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) [30] , Spur-winged Plover or Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) [31] , Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) [32] , Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) [33] , Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) [34] and Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) [35] . In his Ph.D., Abu Taleb [36] studied the breeding biology of five bird species in the Gaza Strip. They are the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Olivaceous Warbler (Iduna pallida), Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala), European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) and European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis).

A bird checklist is a list of all the different bird species that occur in a particular area. The number of species on the checklist depends on the area covered by that checklist. A small city or governorate may have a checklist of 100 - 200 species of birds as indicated by some studies conducted many years ago in the Gaza Strip, while a country or a natural area that is an important site for birds may contain several hundreds of different bird species. Palestine, for example, as a country includes in its various ecosystems 551 species of birds as previously mentioned by Perlman and Meyrav [3] and Meiri et al. [4] . There are many forms of bird checklist. More detailed checklists often include information about each species. For example, birds can be classified according to their local status as resident, breeding, migratory, winter resident, accidental, etc. Bird checklists can be used by hobbyists, new bird watchers (birders), students, scientists, institutions, and more. In Palestine, the importance of bird checklist lies in documenting all the birds that have occurred so far in certain areas or ecosystems for the purpose of serving scientists, researchers and decision-makers to identify bird species and develop appropriate strategies to protect and conserve them in a sustainable manner. In fact, one of the most comprehensive studies conducted in the region is that of Meiri et al. [4] who provided an updated list of all land vertebrates living in Israel. They identified 786 species of vertebrates, of which 551 are birds, 130 are mammals, 97 are reptiles, and eight are amphibians. Based on the foregoing, the current study aims to prepare an up-to-date checklist of birds found in the Gaza Strip—Palestine.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip (365 km²) is a coastal area located in the southern part of the Palestinian coast along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Basin (Figure 1). It is bordered by the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1948 to the north and east, Egypt to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. The Gaza Strip consists of five governorates: North Gaza, Gaza, Middle, Khan Yunis and Rafah. The population of the Gaza Strip is about 2.3 million people, most of whom are refugees from the Nakba in 1948. The population density is about 6000 people per square kilometer, making the Gaza Strip one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The Gaza Strip is characterized by its semi-arid Mediterranean climate, hot in summer and cold in winter. Average temperatures in the Gaza Strip range between 25˚C in summer and 13˚C in winter. The average annual precipitation is 300 mm. Daily relative humidity fluctuates between 65% and 85% in summer and between 60% and 80% in winter. Sand dunes are the main feature of the western part of the Gaza Strip, while silt and clay lands predominate in the eastern part [5] [12] .

Figure 1. Map of the Gaza Strip—Palestine.

2.2. Procedure

The current study, which lasted 20 years (2003-2022), was based on various procedures as follows:

1) Field bird observations and monitoring: Continuous direct observations and monitoring of birds have been carried out in the various ecosystems and habitats of the Gaza Strip since 2003 until now (Figure 2 and Figure 3). Professional binoculars were used to observe and identify birds. A number of local, regional and international bird guides have been used in the bird species identification process [37] - [48] .

2) Frequent visits to places of conservation of birds: The researchers used to visit zoos throughout the Gaza Strip to study the content of wild birds that

Figure 2. An ecological tour for bird watching and documentation in the coastal Al-Mawasi ecosystem in the southern Gaza Strip in 2017.

Figure 3. An ecological tour for bird watching and documentation in Wadi Gaza nature reserve in the middle of the Gaza Strip in 2014.

are being hunted and kept there. They also held frequent visits to animal markets, pet stores and some animal exhibitions held in the Gaza Strip in order to document their content of wild birds. The researchers also used to visit the laboratories of biology departments in Palestinian universities to document the stuffed birds displayed there (Figure 4).

3) Contributions of bird hunters: The Gaza Strip is teeming with dozens, if not hundreds, of bird hunters who use hunting birds and wildlife as a hobby, a profession, or a source of livelihood for their families. Many bird species that have not been recorded before are hunted and thus some bird hunters contribute to the knowledge and inclusion of bird species for the current list. At the conclusion of writing this article and just before it was sent for publication, a Gazan bird hunter brought a bird he had caught and asked for its name. After review and investigation, it was found that the bird is being hunted and documented for the first time in the Gaza Strip. It is the Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) (Figure 5) and there are no similar species to it in Palestine. Immediately, the bird was included in the checklist for birds of the Gaza Strip.

Figure 4. A stuffed specimen of the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) at the Biology Museum of Al-Azhar University, Gaza Strip in 2012.

Figure 5. Immediately after it was caught (November 28, 2022) for the first time in the Gaza Strip, the Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) was brought to the biology laboratories of the Islamic University of Gaza and was promptly included in the checklist for the birds of the Gaza Strip.

4) Continuous follow-up of news and social networking sites: Over the past years and decades, the researchers have followed the social networking pages of the famous and well-known pet bird shops in the Gaza Strip, which display wild birds that are caught and offered for sale there. The researchers also used to visit social networking sites launched by some Palestinian wildlife monitoring professionals and amateurs with the aim of introducing their community to Palestinian biodiversity, especially wild birds, and displaying professional photos and videos taken by amateurs.

5) Review of scientific publications: All scientific reports and publications dealing with birds in the ecosystems of the Gaza Strip have been carefully reviewed and examined, as the actual writing of most of these literatures began in the 2000s.

6) Photography: A wide range of photographs was taken for documentary and confirmatory purposes by the researchers themselves and their professional colleagues who also used to watch and observe birds in the Palestinian Territories.

7) Statistical analysis: Statistical data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Chicago, Illinois). The graphs were drawn using Microsoft Excel 2010.

3. Results

According to the current data, there are at least 250 species of bird fauna in the Gaza Strip (Table 1). The list of species was compiled based on field observations, modest museums and animal exhibitions in Gazan universities, pet shops and animal markets, in addition to the publications mentioned earlier in the study. Of course, this number will not be constant; it will be modified according to new developments in bird watching and the registration of new species. This number of birds (250) represents 45.4% of the 551 species of birds living in historic Palestine according to the figures indicated by Meiri et al. [4] . The 250 bird species belong to 21 orders and 61 families. The Passeriformes (passerines) represented the largest order with 96 species of birds (38.4%), followed by the Charadriiformes 54 (21.6%), Accipitriformes 18 (7.2%), Anseriformes 17 (6.8%), Pelecaniformes 14 (5.6%), while the other orders represented the remaining percentage (20.4%) as seen in Figure 6. As far as the birds’ families are concerned, The Scolopacidae represented the largest family with 22 species of birds (8.8%), followed by the Anatidae and Accipitridae 17 for each (6.8%), Muscicapidae 16 (6.4%), Charadriidae and Fringillidae 11 for each (4.4%), while the other families represented the remaining percentage (62.4%) as seen in Figure 7.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) regional threat categories, the proportion of the 250 bird species inhabiting the Gaza Strip was as follows (Table 1 and Figure 8):

1) 226 species (90.4%) are of Least Concern (LC), which means that the species are unlikely to become endangered or extinct in the near future.

Table 1. Checklist of the extant birds of the Gaza Strip—Palestine.

Figure 6. A graphic model showing the percentages of the bird fauna orders of the Gaza Strip.

Figure 7. A graphic model showing the percentages of the bird fauna families of the Gaza Strip.

Figure 8. A graphic model showing the proportion of bird species recorded in the Gaza Strip according to the IUCN regional threat categories.

2) 12 species (4.8%) are Near Threatened (NT), which means that the species are close to being endangered in the near future.

3) 6 species (2.4%) are Vulnerable (VU), which means that the species are considered to be at high risk of unnatural (human-caused) extinction without further human intervention.

4) 4 species (1.6%) are Endangered (EN), which means that the species are at very high risk of extinction in the wild.

5) 2 species (0.8%) are Critically Endangered (CR), which means that the species are in an extremely critical state.

4. Discussion

Palestine has a diverse vertebrate fauna inhabiting diverse ecosystems and habitats extending from north to south and from east to west. It is evident from the 551 bird species identified by Meiri et al. [4] that birds are the most prominent vertebrates in Palestine and this is reinforced by migratory birds that follow several routes during their course in the spring and autumn migrations [5] . This huge number of bird species in Palestine can by no means be static, but is expected to change according to the inclusion of new bird species in the future. The Gaza Strip, despite its small area (365 km²), which does not exceed 1.5% of the known area of Palestine (27,000 km²), is close to sheltering half of the Palestinian resident, migratory, terrestrial and aquatic bird species (Figure 9 and Figure 10), as the 250 species of bird species highlighted in this study represented more than 45% of the whole bird species in Palestine. Of course, there are confirmed expectations that the total number of birds in the Gaza Strip will exceed the 50% threshold in the near future, and this is of course due to reasons including the continuous hunting of birds carried out by some hunters throughout the Gaza Strip, and the spread of bird trade locally in pet shops and some specialized markets, in addition to the achievements of some bird watchers in identifying new species steadily.

Figure 9. Some aquatic birds of the Gaza Strip: (a) Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus; (b) Spur-winged Plover or Lapwing Vanellus spinosus; (c) Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria; (d) Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola; (e) Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago; (f) Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus; (g) Spotted Crake Porzana porzana; (h) Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus; (i) Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa; (j) Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus; (k) Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus and Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus; (l) Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus and Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus; (m) Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus; (n) Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis; and (o) Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca.

Figure 10. Some terrestrial birds of the Gaza Strip: (a) Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus; (b) Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo; (c) Barn Owl Tyto alba; (d) Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe; (e) Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata; (f) Indian Myna Acridotheres tristis; (g) Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus; (h) Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus; (i) Eurasian Hooby Falco subbuteo; (j) Palestine Sunbird Cinnyris osea; (k) Yellw Wagtail Motacilla flava; (l) European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola; (m) Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus; (n) European Starling Sturnus vulgaris; and (o) European Bee-eater Merops apiaster.

There are many ecosystems and habitats in the Gaza Strip to embrace the diversity of both aquatic and terrestrial birds (Figure 9 and Figure 10). Agriculture is the backbone of the Gazan economy, and therefore farms, orchards and vineyards are abundant with a diversity of bird species. For example, the coastal Al-Mawasi ecosystem, which is located southwest of the Gaza Strip, is considered one of the richest agricultural areas in the Gaza Strip. Rather, it is considered the food basket of the Gaza Strip. This ecosystem houses an estimated diversity of 135 species of birds, as shown by Abd Rabou [9] . The Gaza Strip is cut by three valleys in the north, center and south. These valleys harbor a relatively rich diversity of birds. Perhaps the Wadi Gaza Nature Reserve is the most studied of these valleys, and it was found that it is teeming with a huge diversity of wild vertebrate species, the most important of which are birds [6] [7] [10] . The marine and coastal environments possess a diversity of birds as well [7] [21] , although they need further studies using a well-prepared research fleet. The sand dunes that characterize the western belt of the Gaza Strip, sewage treatment plants and solid waste dumps all abound with a huge diversity of birds, and that is why it is important to focus the research effort on such places in the Gaza Strip. Wastewater treatment plants in North Gaza are of real interest to birds as they house a large variety of waterfowl and waders which represent a large proportion in the current checklist. In the past, many Gazans, especially children, were seen chasing some species of ducks, geese and wading birds in the great lake that existed more than 12 years ago in the old wastewater treatment plant in Beit Lahia—in the northern Gaza Strip, to hunt and possibly eat them [49] .

Although the checklists for the species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, both aquatic and terrestrial, in the Gaza Strip have not yet been prepared, the number of species of these taxa or taxonomic groups will not reach 100 species, but certainly less. This means that birds in various environments in the Gaza Strip far exceed the numbers of other vertebrate species with the exception of cartilaginous and bony fish that live in the marine ecosystem. As it was expected based on previous studies [7] [8] [9] [17] [36] , the order Passeriformes was the largest among the orders of birds in the Gaza Strip and included 96 species, or 38.4% of the birds included in the current checklist, followed by the Charadriiformes 58 (22.1%). It does not matter that the order Passeriformes is the largest here because Passeriformes includes more than half of all bird species globally [41] [42] .

Charadriiformes are a diverse order of birds that live mostly in or near water and feed on invertebrates or other small animals including fish. Some of these birds are marine inhabitants, such as gulls and terns, which are very familiar to Gazans in the marine environment of the Gaza Strip [40] . Staying with Charadriiformes, the largest family recorded in the current study is Scolopacidae (sandpipers, curlews and snipes), which is one of the most important and largest families of the order Charadriiformes. It included 22 species (8.8%) of birds in the Gaza Strip. Most of these species feed on small invertebrates picked from mud or soil, where the different lengths of the beaks of different species of this family enable them to feed in the same habitat, especially on the coasts and shores without direct competition for food [50] . This was confirmed by the fact that during ecological tours conducted by the researchers to local wetlands, wadis, wastewater treatment plants and seashores, different species of Scolopacidae birds have been seen next to each other searching for food as if they are in a state of permanent peace (Personal Observations). Staying with aquatic birds, the Anatidae, which forms 6.8% of the current documented birds, is a family of waterfowl that includes ducks and geese. A variety of these birds were observed swimming and floating on the surface waters of Wadi Gaza Nature Reserve [6] [10] , wastewater treatment plants [49] and Al-Mawasi ecosystem in the southern Gaza Strip [9] .

The Gaza Strip does not have research centers dealing with birds, such as those found in Israel, Jordan and some other neighboring countries, so not every bird that enters this microscopic area is actually documented. Perhaps in this context, governmental and non-governmental agencies and educational institutions must hurry to find specialized centers and museums dealing with birds and other forms of wildlife to document them in a timely manner. In contrast to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank of Palestine has long begun to document Palestinian biodiversity through research centers and museums [51] - [55] . Many permanent and seasonal ringing stations were known to work on birds and document them in the West Bank of Palestine [25] [26] [56] [57] [58] .

The current checklist of bird species inhabiting the Gaza Strip is similar to other reference lists or checklists of wildlife forms in the region [3] [4] in being useful to conservationists, academics, researchers, professors, graduate students, nature lovers and birdwatchers. Checklists can also be used to track the development of knowledge of Palestinian birds. One of the most important factors that prompted the researchers to prepare this checklist is the complete lack of knowledge of the number of birds present or visiting the Gaza Strip. This in turn raised questions from the Environment Quality Authority, those interested and students of science, especially students of environmental and life sciences disciplines, to formulate a published scientific article that includes Palestinian birds in the Gaza Strip and all Occupied Palestinian Territories. Of course, this list compiled from various sources is not intended to be static and will surely need to be updated at some point, especially since the interest in birds has recently started during the last twenty years after the number of studies related to bird surveys increased, and so did the number of hobbyists competing in documenting the birds that reside in the Gaza Strip or visit it from time to time. Every day Gazans hear about new species that must be included and added to subsequently updated lists.

With more or fewer aims, many studies in the Middle East were found to develop checklists for birds [59] - [65] depending on extensive bird surveys. In various Middle East and Arab countries, many bird surveys have been done in various ecosystems to highlight the prevailing bird species. Jordan is the country most adjacent to Palestine and enjoys a relative abundance in its studies on birds [66] - [80] . In fact, surveys of wild birds in any country in the world represent a backbone for reference lists, and perhaps the studies that were completed in the Gaza Strip during the past twenty years contributed to the emergence of the current checklist to be a clear scientific document that serves the next scientific studies and those interested in birds.

As far as the IUCN threat categories are concerned, the IUCN divides the species into nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct. Of the 250 bird species inhabiting the Gaza Strip, 226 species (90.4%) were of Least Concern (LC) in the sense that the species of Least Concern are still abundant in the wild and have stable populations. They are not considered Threatened or Near Threatened. In other words, the species are not dependent on conservation. The rest of the species (9.6%) have different threatening states: 12 species (4.8%) are Near Threatened (NT), 6 species (2.4%) are Vulnerable (VU), 4 species (1.6%) are Endangered (EN), and 2 species (0.8%) are Critically Endangered (CR). The latter two categories mean that the species are considered to be threatened with extinction. In the current checklist, the White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala), Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), and Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) were categorized as Endangered (EN). In the same context, the Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarius) and Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) were classified as Critically Endangered (CR). In fact, the major causes of extinction of the birds and other wildlife species globally or in a particular part of the world often include habitat destruction, the introduction of invasive species, climate change, hunting and illegal trade [81] [82] .

Hunting and trading of wild birds in the Gaza Strip—despite the gravity of the two phenomena—represent a source for identifying and documenting wild birds that occur in the region. This certainly comes in light of the absence or weakness of institutions that deal with birds locally as previously mentioned. Very recent studies have shown a large number of birds that are illegally hunted and sold in markets and animal stores of the Occupied Palestinian Territories [11] [15] [22] [27] [28] [29] [30] [83] . Many species of birds famous for their invasion of Palestine including the Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri), were not spared from hunting and trafficking, as indicated by many local studies [8] [9] [27] [28] [83] [84] [85] . Of course, the situation in the Arab and Middle East countries is not better, and may even be worse than in Palestine, in light of the large number of scientific studies that show the process of trafficking and trade in wild animals, especially birds [86] - [97] .

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the current study shows that the Gaza Strip, which represents 1.5% of the area of Palestine, harbors a high diversity of wild birds (currently 250 species that can be increased) due to the diversity of its ecosystems and ecological habitats and its location within the migratory paths of birds. Poaching and illegal hunting and habitat degradation pose a real threat to birds. The study recommends the need to pay attention to birds and the laws that regulate their hunting and trading in a sustainable manner, and it also recommends the need to build high-end centers and museums for studying and documenting birds, as in the rest of the world. Certainly, this study will need subsequent field efforts in order to create a more accurate checklist that includes what is added to the existing list of new species.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks go to all the bird hunters, farmers, pet store and zoo owners, and other stakeholders we met in the Gaza Strip during the succeeding phases of this study and who provided us with valuable information, photos and technical support that enriched the checklist of this modest study.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

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