The status of Warblers 
in Kuwait 
B, K. Wright 
It is interesting to note that both The Birds of the Western Palearctic 
(Cramp 1992) and the recent Guide to the Warblers of the Western 
Palearctic (Parmenter and Byers 1991), provide misleading, if not inac- 
curate, information on the status of certain species of warblers in 
Kuwait. The apparent blanket coverage of species listed as accidental 
or vagrant often belies their true status. The author counted c.78 
Meadow Pipits Anthus pratensis on 12 January 1994 at one roost near 
to Kuwait City, yet even this species is listed as accidental (Cramp 
1992). The situation regarding the family Sylvidae in Kuwait is more 
subtle but just as misleading. 
The small Emirate of Kuwait has been firmly included within the 
somewhat artificially constructed Western Palearctic region by the 
editors of the Birds of the Western Palearctic; and in view of this I 
would like to update the status of the Sylvidae, based on personal 
observation, both after and prior to the Gulf war. The problems of 
birds exhibiting extremes of variation and intergrades may have 
caused confusion in identification in the past. The author is aware of 
the danger of attempting visual identification at subspecific level with 
this group, but awareness of the various races will save the observer 
much time and frustration when consulting field guides. 
Short-term visitors, with an interest in birding, who have a lot of 
potentially valuable information to give have been frustrated by not 
being able to obtain initial information on status. I believe the follow- 
ing paper gives a more accurate picture of warblers and their status in 
Kuwait at the present time. 
1 
