First Photographic and Video Documentation of the Booted Warbler (Iduna caligata) in Egypt Since Its First Record in 1993

morhaf kamal Aljanee

     The Booted Warbler (Iduna caligata) is a small migratory passerine breeding across Central Asia and wintering mainly in the Indian subcontinent. It is regarded as a rare vagrant in the Middle East and North Africa, with very few confirmed records from Egypt. This study presents the first verified photographic and video documentation of I. caligata in Egypt, recorded on 11 October 2025 at Wadi El Rayan Protected Area, Fayoum Governorate. The observation occurred during the World Migratory Bird Day event and involved three independent observers. The bird was photographed and filmed while foraging among shrubs near semi-desert wetlands. Diagnostic morphological features—including pale supercilium, gray-brown upperparts, creamy-white underparts with a rusty-buff tinge, short wings, and square-tipped tail—were clearly visible and confirmed its identification.

    This record represents the first verifiable evidence of the species’ occurrence in Egypt since its initial unphotographed report in 1993. It underscores the ecological importance of Egyptian wetlands as stopover habitats for migratory passerines and highlights the growing role of collaborative fieldwork by bird experts and the wildlife photographers in regional biodiversity documentation. The finding suggests that the Booted Warbler may occur more regularly in Egypt than previously assumed, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring and data sharing to enhance understanding of avian migration across the Middle East and North Africa.