A unique and vital achievement about Sociable Lapwings migration to Iran
Guest blog by Keramat Hafezi Birgani
These words reminds people in Iran of the Iranian Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus that throughout Asia is only surviving in Iran. For birds there are five Critically Endangered species ,Birds that face high risk of extinction in the wild.
Of these five species, two species of birds have been seen as vagrants in Iran in the past, and one species was unfortunately declared extinct last year after years of doubt and hope.
The White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, a vagrant in Iran is Critically Endangered. The last record was of a single bird near Bahu Kalat, Balochistan in April 1972.
The Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola, also Crtically Endangered,has been recorded twice: one was seen at Ashuradeh, Mazandaran, on 19 September 1961 ; and one was seen near Sabzevar , Khorasan, on 18 September 1974.
The Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris, was possibly formerly a rare passage migrant in Iran. The last convincing record in Iran was a bird seen by P.J.K. Burton in Mazandaran province in August 1963.
There are only two specimens from Iran: a female taken at Mozhn-Abad (Khorasan) on 29 April 1898 and a male taken near Bandar Abbas on 20 December 1939.
Unfortunately, the news of the extinction of this species in the world was officially announced last year, none having been seen in the wild since 1995.
Omid, the last wild Siberian Crane of the western population, migrated to Iran every year for up to 15 years alone to spend the winter. In 2023, in collaboration with the Cracid & Crane Breeding and Conservation Center in Belgium and the Department of Environment (DoE) of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we brought a female named Roya to accompany Omid.
Roya and Omid were very close and loved each other but Roya was unable to continue migrating with Omid and is now being kept in Iran. Omid has not been to Iran for two years and his status is unknown.
Omid has never been seen in the summering area in Russia in the past; another interesting point is that in 2010, Omid did not come to Iran for wintering.
The future will tell us whether Omid will come to Iran and whether he will be seen again?
I will write about the ongoing efforts and programs for the Western Siberian Crane population in another blog.
The Sociable Lapwing is a migratory bird listed by IUCN as Critically Endangered because of severe population declines.
Once widespread in Eurasia, with a breeding range extending from Ukraine in the west to China in the east.
The species is now confined to an increasingly small area of Kazakhstan. The decline in Sociable Lapwing populations is likely due to a combination of factors, with high mortality along migration routes and on wintering grounds being major contributors. Hunting, habitat loss, and reduced breeding success due to factors like high grazing density also play a significant role.
The majority of the population migrates west and south to northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, while a smaller portion travels east to India and Pakistan.
Given the new findings, let’s review vital information about the status of Sociable Lapwings in Iran.
Useful information on migration routes and wintering areas is key to conserving Sociable Lapwings, which we know little about due to their vast and scattered range.
The first record of Sociable Lapwings in Iran is a museum specimen of a male bird at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences dated 30 Nov 1952 from the port of Gaz, in the southeast of the Caspian Sea.
Since 1952, more than 60 records of Sociable Lapwings have been reported from the coast and wetlands of the southern Caspian Sea in northern Iran and the coasts of the Persian Gulf in southern Iran; and in Internal wetlands of Iran including Gandoman Wetland, Ghare Gheshlagh Wetland, Meyghan Wetland, Bamdej Wetland,Miangaran Wetland, Salehiyeh Wetland, Ghanbar Abad Wetland.
Iran boasts numerous internal wetlands, playing a vital role in biodiversity and offering essential ecosystem services.
A review of the observation record times for Sociable Lapwing shows that numerous observations have been recorded in Iran from October to April, which includes all the months of wintering and passage migration in spring and autumn.
Records from the first days of October in southern Iran in Khuzestan province in the northern Persian Gulf tell us that some Sociable Lapwings arrived in Iran in the last days of September.
Of course, they are usually seen in mid-October, such as observation of Ali Hajiabadi and me on October 15th 2020, a flock with 10 individuals in the fields around the Bamdej wetland in Khuzestan.
Observations in December, February and January indicate that Sociable Lapwings are wintering in Iran.
Studies show that Sociable Lapwings, in addition to using Iran as a stopover on their migration route, have also chosen Iran as a wintering destination.
We know that studies by ornithologists have shown that Sociable Lapwings migrate along two main routes from their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan and southern Russia.
The western route, used by the majority, extends to wintering areas in northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, covering approximately 5,200 km. The eastern route, shorter, leads birds to Pakistan and northwestern India, covering around 2,800 km.
But studies in Iran indicate that Iran could be a third migration route and central wintering destination for Sociable Lapwings in the world.
In 2022, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) tracked 17 Sociable Lapwings in Kazakhstan using satellite transmitters.
The project aims to understand the species’ migration routes and wintering grounds for conservation efforts. Kazakhstan is crucial for the species, as it is the breeding home to over 95% of the world’s Sociable Lapwing population.
Of the 17 Sociable Lapwings with satellite tracking in 2022, 8 birds entered Iran, This means that 47 percent of the tagged birds entered Iran with satellite tracking.
Three birds chose Iran as a stopover on their migration route, 3 individuals continued their migration after Iran. 2 tagged Sociable Lapwings flew from the western borders of Iran to the Arabian Peninsula for wintering, and one individual continued its journey from the eastern border of Iran to Pakistan.
Of the 17 tagged birds, 5 Sociable Lapwings spent the winter in Iran.
Of the five Sociable Lapwings that wintered in Iran in 2022, 3 were in Khuzestan Province, one in Bushehr Province, and one in Kerman Province.
Also, the border areas and farms of the Sarakhs region on the border with Turkmenistan in northeastern Iran are important entry and exit areas for Sociable Lapwings into Iran.
In addition my colleague Younes Khajoui recorded 23 Sociable Lapwings in alfalfa fields in southern Kerman province on Nov 22, 2022.
My colleague, Younes Khajavi, in southern Kerman found tagged individual W06 in alfalfa fields in the Chah Dad Khoda region in a flock of three birds.
I also went looking for W07 and W16. W07 spent the winter in the plains of the Zagros in northern Khuzestan on the edge of the Miangaran Izeh wetland; in the wheat fields of Masjed Soleiman; and also in the plain part of Khuzestan on the edge of Karun and Karkheh Rivers; and then in the fields along the Zohreh River near Behbahan and Handijan in the northern Persian Gulf.
On a rainy day I went in search of W16; fortunately, I found a large flock of Sociable Lapwings in wheat fields near the Ahvaz-Masjd Soleyman road; there were 41 of them, which is the largest number of Sociable Lapwings in a flock in the history of observations in Iran. A total of 68 Sociable Lapwings were observed in Iran in 2022.
Sociable Lapwing female with tag number W07 spent the winter in Iran for the second and third years as well. She is one of the most loyal winter visitor to Iran.
Sociable Lapwing W07 was present in Bushehr province for 44 days from December 12, 2024 to January 24, 2025. In Bushehr province in the northern Persian Gulf, there was a flock of three individuals, observed by my colleague Kourosh Khalili , On January 24, 2025, they flew to Khuzestan Province in the sugarcane fields of Ahvaz.
I went to the sugarcane fields of Ahvaz for a detailed inspection.
In Ahvaz, their number increased on the first day and there were two males and two females.
The vast sugarcane fields of Debel Khozaei Agro-industry Company are a paradise for Lapwing family; the area is marked with no hunting signs; safe and full of food; Northern Lapwings are wintering migrants and Red-wattled Lapwings, White-tailed Lapwings and Spur-winged Lapwings are resident birds.
I regularly checked the area and the status of the Sociable Lapwings. On January 30th, the flock of Sociable Lapwings increased from 4 to 14 individuals; they preferred to be with the flock of about a thousand Northern Lapwings.
The female Sociable Lapwing, number W07, was present in the sugarcane fields with a number of other Sociable Lapwings for 53 days from 24 January 2025 to 18 March 2025, and then migrated to Kazakhstan. Fortunately, W07 arrived safely in the breeding area in Kazakhstan and now she’s probably raising chicks.
In 2025, while W07 was in Ahvaz, I contacted my colleagues to investigate the wintering areas of previous years. Fortunately, we found three more flocks in Iran, the largest of which was a flock with 24 individuals in alfalfa fields south of Kerman, which my colleague, Younes Khajavi, filmed.
Bird hunting is prohibited in Iran, and illegal hunters are not interested in hunting any of the Lapwing family.
Sociable Lapwings and other endangered birds are protected by the Iranian Environmental Organization
We have not had any reports of Sociable Lapwings being hunted in Iran so far; however, Illegal hunters may be hunting them out of ignorance and without permission; therefore, the areas where these birds are found should be further protected and rangers and local communities should be trained to further protect Sociable Lapwings and their resting and wintering areas.
In Iran, habitat protection and raising awareness about this species are key to conservation, especially as these birds have adapted to agricultural lands and are now moving closer to humans.
During the presence of flocks of Sociable Lapwings and their investigation into wintering habitats, we also observed natural threats; in these areas in winter, we observed many birds of prey including, falcons, eagles and harriers, as well as animals such as dogs and Jackals. I observed that golden jackals and Indian Grey Mongoose approached them several times.
In my opinion, Sociable Lapwings were less sensitive to dangers and surrounding animals than other members of their family, such as Northern Lapwings, White-tailed Lapwings, Red-wattled Lapwings and Spur-winged Lapwing and perhaps for this reason they stayed close to the other Lapwings to be aware of their warnings of danger.
Given the information we have obtained regarding the status of Sociable Lapwings in Iran, we should consider their presence in Iran as a common passage migrant and winter visitor bird species and consider a conservation plan for them.
From my perspective that is fabulous achievement and great find for updating the status of Sociable Lapwings in this part of the world and Iran is becoming an important range state for the Sociable Lapwing.
New data shows us that Sociable Lapwings are interested in farmland in addition to wetlands and surrounding grasslands.
We will need to answer more questions in the future. Will global warming cause Sociable Lapwings to winter at higher altitudes? Will migration routes become shorter? Has agriculture created suitable wintering areas and will future generations choose new, shorter routes?
With my deepest thanks to Ruslan Urazaliyev, ACBK Research Scientist, Project’s National and International Coordinator for help with this valuable project.
Many thanks to Robert Sheldon Chairman of the OSME for his support. I am also grateful to Richard Porter, an adviser on bird conservation for BirdLife International, for his guidance.
I am very much obliged to all my colleagues and birdwatchers in Iran who provided the basis for this research and helped me by recording observations. Special thanks to the kind help of Younes Khajavi and Kourosh Khalili.
Keramat with colleagues, Ebrahim Neisi and Seyed Mohammad Pourmousaviyan at the Sociable Lapwing W07 wintering farms. Ebrahim and Seyed Mohammad provided useful research assistance.
Keramat Hafezi Birgani is member of the Iran Bird Record Committee, Mammal Recording Group of Iran and Head of the Khuzestan Biodiversity group. Ecotourism ,Birdwatching and wildlife trip Guide in Iran. Ebrahim Neisi is HSE Manager at Debel Khozaei Agro-industry Company. Seyed Mohammad Pourmousaviyan, is Head of Environment and Energy, Debel Khozaei Agro-industry Company.
Keramat can be contacted on: keramat.h.b@gmail.com.
Note: all photos in this blog were taken by Keramat Hafezi Birgani