Qatar Natural History Group
The Qatar Natural History Group (QNHG) brings together people with an interest in the natural history of Qatar and the Gulf. Its interests cover birds and all aspects of natural history and also the culture, history and archaeology of the country. Details of the activities of the QNHG can be found on their website.
Field Identification Guides
There are two essential field guides to the birds of the Middle East


Collins Bird Guide, Third Edition. Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström. HarperCollins, 2022.
Other Resources
The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia by Mike Jennings documents the distribution and status of breeding birds in the Arabian Peninsula surveyed between 1984-2009.
EBird provides a useful account of birds seen in Qatar, which includes a month-by-month bar chart of species occurrences. Registered users (membership is free) can upload their own observations and receive bespoke alerts of birds reported.
Xeno-Canto is a global database of searchable and downloadable bird sounds.
Ornithological Societies
The Ornithological Society of the Middle East (OSME) encourages an interest in birds and the conservation of them and their habitats. The OSME Regional List (ORL) is the definitive list of bird species occurring in the region. OSME publishes the Sandgrouse journal bi-annually. Birdwatchers with an interest in the birds of Qatar and the Middle East are strongly encouraged to take up membership of OSME.
BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations that strives works towards the sustainable use of natural resources, global biodiversity and the conservation of birds and their environment. The Birdlife International DataZone provides details of key threatened bird species occurring in Qatar, as well as a listing of Important Bird Areas.
Country Websites
Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates