The Fujairah Environment Authority (FEA) achieves a significant environmental milestone at Wadi Wurayah Biosphere Reserve, as a considerable indicator in the beginning of the new year 2026, reinforcing its position as one of the most important natural reserves for migratory and nocturnal birds at the level of the United Arab Emirates, in general, and the Hajar Mountains, in particular.

The said achievement was made during the regular environmental monitoring activities carried out in January 2026 when field teams successfully re-spotted the Egyptian Nightjar at Wadi Wurayah Biosphere Reserve, five years after the same bird was first documented at the site in December 2021. When captured for the first time, the bird was fitted with an identification ring, its details were fully documented, and its vital signs were registered, including height, weight and other indicators before being released at the same location to pursue its migration path. Five years later, the team remarkably recaptured the very same bird within the reserve.

The team succeeded in identifying the bird again, thanks to the long-term bird ringing and monitoring programme launched by FEA, thus enabling it to track birds over extended periods and review their movement patterns and natural site fidelity.

The reappearance of this migratory species after such a long interval provides strong scientific evidence that Wadi Wurayah serves as a secured and reliable stopover and roosting site along and short-term regional migration routes.

The Egyptian Nightjar is a nocturnal ground-nesting species that depends on gravel plains and open wadis undisturbed by human activity. Its continuous return to the same area reflects the ecological integrity of Wadi Wurayah Biosphere Reserve and highlights the success story of the long-term protection and environmental management measures implemented within the reserve, in accordance with the international best practices that strengthen its nomination dossier for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Such discovery also deepens the scientific understanding that migratory birds do not merely pass through the eastern Arabian Peninsula, but they repeatedly return to Wadi Wurayah Biosphere Reserve as part of their seasonal trips. Such site fidelity underscores the Reserve’s role as a critical biodiversity hotspot, supporting key rich ecological processes, including migration, and providing natural habitats to maintain species in arid mountainous environments.

This surveillance forms part of a comprehensive, long-term bird monitoring programme implemented by the Fujairah Environment Authority to monitor birds and wildlife, documenting the presence of numerous migratory, passing, and resident species that rely on permanent water pools, wadis, and gravel plains within the Reserve.

Collectively, these findings constitute important scientific evidence supporting the international ecological value of Wadi Wurayah Biosphere Reserve, and strengthen its nomination dossier for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Detailed scientific analyses of these activities are currently being prepared for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.