Birding is a growing branch of ecotourism and is one of the most popular types of "specific purpose tourism". Surveys in different countries show that usually the educated part of society interested in this particular type of tourism. Unlike other nature hiking branches, such as trekking or climbing, people with less physical abilities can also easily participate in bird watching programs and closely follow the flow of life in nature.
Birding is one of those leisure activities that requires peace and silence. Consequently, it is also useful for concentrating and even relaxing the saul. Many psychologists recommend bird watching in nature for mental relaxation and spirituality.

Watching the birds and listening to their life's songs, photography, recording all the beauty and effort of accurately identifying the species of birds you see is a unique scientific and recreational tourism that, if it ever happens, keeps people away from repeating everyday boring city life.
If you enjoy the beauty of seeing colorful feathers of a red chestnut or hearing the marvelous song of the nightingale or the singing of a woodpecker in the heart of nature, you can easily be a birdwatcher!

People interested in nature, can easily start bird watching in Iran. In fact, many people in the world practice this profession with different specialties for many years, a healthy recreation that requires no specialty, Just love nature and birds.
Birding is one of the unknown tourism potentials in Iran. With more than 5 important birding areas, Iran has high potential to become one of the most important birding destinations. Also in Iranian desert attractions such as the Mesr Desert, very beautiful desert birds such as Pleskes Ground Jay can easily be seen.
Fortunately, there has been a growing interest recently in organizing and participating in nature programs (such as bird watching) in Iran. However, Iran's share of the billions of dollars from this field is almost zero, while US revenue from the industry last year was just over $ 5 billion.
Promising signs such as naming the first Thursday of every December as National Bird watching Day, expanding the activity of birding institutes and the availability of magazines such as Podoces and Balaban herald a growing future. Bird hunting in most areas has been banned and bird protection groups have been established to protect some endangered bird species which are in the red list.
Totally 523 bird species exist in Iran.

The best season for bird watching in Iran 

The best time for bird watching programs in Iran is spring and autumn. The first half of spring, especially in May, is when birds begin mating, nesting, and caring for chicks, resulting in abundance. In the fall, not only migratory birds enter Iran, but the population of birds also increases. Offspring born in the spring are now grown and joined.

It is noteworthy that most of the known species in Iran are migratory birds (approximately 70%) and do not come to Iran during their breeding season in Iran. But in the fall, many of them travel to Iran to avoid the cold season in their homelands. Of course, the observation of migratory birds in Iran presents some challenge:
First, due to the harsh weather conditions, most of the birds hide themselves in their refuges, and secondly, many of the birds enjoy their winter camouflage and look far away from their beautiful summer coats - This makes them harder to spot.
Therefore, the distinction between autumn and spring is due to the arrival of migratory and winter migratory birds and, consequently, the possibility of seeing more species of birds. Wading birds, such as sandpipers are also best seen during this season.
If you are interested in watching chickens that hatch from eggs, sign up for bird watching tours in Iran in the spring. Even migratory birds sometimes lay eggs in Iranian wetlands. If you are interested in watching birds grow and their life cycle, spring is a good start for you. The atmosphere of lagoons and lakes is also very pleasant and refreshing.

Areas suitable for bird watching in Iran

In Iran, most birdwatchers go to West Azerbaijan province to see more birds. Other provinces still need to do more work and more birding tours. As more people become familiar with this field of nature hiking, the number of birdwatchers is increasing and our collective information on bird species in our environment is growing.

• Mian Kaleh Peninsula

  This wetland is in the east of Mazandaran and is more than 68 kilometers wide. The reflection of pomegranate, azalea and wild raspberry bushes in the water, along with the presence of thousands of migratory birds in this  magnificent wildlife refuge, creates an unparalleled and vibrant landscape.
  Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, such as flamingos, cormorants, swans, pelicans, ducks and white-tailed eagles, fall each year to the wetland in the fall and stay there until late winter.

• Fereydoon Kenar lagoon

• Miqan Wetland

• Qazvin Abbeyek

• Kani Brazan

  Situated south of Lake Urmia on the Miandoab-Naghadeh Route, its 907-hectare is one of the most beautiful wetlands in western Iran and has doubled its attractiveness to native and migratory birds. Kani Brazan welcomes the largest population of migratory and wading birds including endangered  White-headed Duck and protected species of marbled ducks, pelicans, swans, flamingos, Spotted Eagle as well as other birds such as goose, duck, Ruddy shelduck. 

• Birding Site of Ghar Ghashlagh Wetland of East Azarbaijan

• Qeshm Island

  Set of lush green coastal, mangrove or shore forests, located near Qeshm Island, Bandar Pol, Hormoz Island and Khamir Port in Hormozgan Province, with beautiful waterways and pristine wildlife, is one of iran's most popular tourist attractions. More than one hundred species of aquatic and wading birds are found in the area annually. Varieties of swallows, red-winged flamingos, white and gray herons are migratory bird species that migrate to this place with a multi generational, sometimes millennial population.

• Zaribar Lagoon in Marivan, Kurdistan 

• Anzali lagoon