OYSTERCATCHER Haematopusostralegus 
C Not uncommon on coast. Generally 
solitary or in small groups. Regularly 
sighted in winter near Al Birk, Saeedha, 
Dahaban, Al Qunftdhah and Amq. 
BLACK-WINGED STILT Himantopus 
himantopus C Frequently seen in all types 
of waterbodies, even temporary pools 
formed after localized rains. A pair nesting 
near a temporary pool 7 km from Al 
Qunndhah 4 May 1990. 
AVOCET Recurvirostra avosetta U Six 
foraging in a temporary pool on 4 February 
1992 near Kiyad in Wadi Hali; seven, 
possibly more, in the backwaters of Malaki 
Dam 9 February 1992. 
CRAB PLOVER Dromasardeola C Common 
resident (Stagg 1985), sighted on all visits to 
the Red Sea coast. 
STONE CURLEW Burhinns oedicnemus C 
More than 50 sightings. A flock of 100 seen 
roosting on a plateau near Qarnayn 28 
December 1991. 
SPOTTED THICK-KNEE Burhinus 
capensis U A pair among Acacia in Al Lith 
5 March 1989. A chick caught by local boys 
in Wadi Juwa 25 July 1991 and three seen in 
the same area 28 July 1991. A pair in the 
Saeedha area 1 January 1992. 
CREAM-COLOURED COURSER 
Cursorius cursor C Common in groups of 5- 
10 during winter. Roosts regularly among 
stony lava areas. They appear to be nomadic 
in our study area. For example, between 28 
November 1991 and 14 January 1992 we 
made more than 11 sightings but, when we 
resumed studies 28 January, none were 
seen before we departed 14 February 1992. 
LITTLE RINGED PLOVER Charadrius 
dubius C Found by all sorts of pools and 
running streams. More than 50 sightings. 
Not recorded by Cornwallis & Porter (1982) 
from Yemen Tiha man bu t Br ooks ef a / . ( 1 98 7) 
recorded 32 between 13 October and 2 
December 1985. 
RINGED PLOVER Charadrius hiaticula C 
More common on coast, but a few seen 
inland also (e.g. Al Kufferah 23 December 
1991). Stagg (1985) foundit to be particularly 
common in winter. He saw flocks of more 
than 50 throughout November at wetlands 
in the highlands of Kamis Mushayt. 
KENTISH PLOVER Charadrius 
alexandrinus C Very common in sabkha. 
Flocks of up to 50, many resting beside 
Suaeda bushes on Farasan Islands 10 
February 1992. 
LESSER SAND PLOVER Charadrius 
mongolus C Winter visitor. All 20 sightings 
on the coast. Four foraging in sabkha near 
Amq 7 February 1992. 
GREATER SAND PLOVER Charadrius 
Jeschenaultii R One, with Lesser Sand 
Plovers, on the coast near Al Birk 8 January 
1990 and another near Dahaban 9 January 
1990. Stagg (1985) found it to be very 
common on the coast throughout the year. 
GREY PLOVER Pluvialis squatarola C 
Common in small numbers on the coast in 
winter. More than 50 sightings. 
SPUR-WINGED PLOVER Hoplopterus 
spinosus C More than 50 sightings. From 19 
- 25 December 1991 up to 40 seen under 
Acacia trees within Kiyad town. Stagg (1985) 
found it to be rare but we found it be fairly 
common all over the Tihamah near 
watercourses. Cornwallis & Porter (1982) 
saw up to 10 together in the Hodeidah area 
in the Yemen Tihamah and Brooks et al. 
(1987) consideredit to breed there; breeding 
is also suspected on certain parts of the 
Saudi Arabian Tihamah. 
WHITE-TAILED LAPWING Vanellus 
leucurus U Uncommon due to lack of 
marshlands. Three in Wadi Alahssahbah 6 
January 1992, but perhaps could be many 
more because the whole length of this long 
wadi was not surveyed. Up to seven in a 
small part of inundated crop fields on 
Malaki Dam 8-9 February 1 992. Brooks et al. 
(1987) recorded it mostly on flooded areas 
of cultivation on the Yemen Tihamah. 
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