A birdwatching tour in Iran involves wandering and navigating through various regions as one seeks and records the feathered denizens with a sense great fulfilment. Given the fact that comparatively, one-tenth of Iran is forested, and in spite of the reality that large parts of the country are dry to semi-dry, Iran owns a very rich and diverse bird fauna; with about some 500 known species.

In the northern Alborz (Caspian region) broad-leaved trees—oak, beech, elm, walnut, ash, and hornbeam—and a few broad-leaved evergreens are found. The Zagros Mountains are covered by scrub oak forests, accompanied by elm, maple, pear, and pistachio trees.

 

Such great range of environments—from constant snows to deep deserts and from luxuriant forest in the north to palm groves and mangroves in the south—and Iran’s location at a crossroads between three main faunal areas, are responsible factors to make the country home to a wide variety of birds and a bird’s watcher paradise.