Whilst birdwatching the An Namas area of the Asir Mountains, 150 kms north of Abha, I came across a Yemen Rock AgamaAcanthocercus yemensis.
The Yemen Rock Agama occurs in northern Yemen and adjacent Saudi Arabia, but the limits of its distribution in Saudi Arabia are currently not well known, although I have seen it as far north as Bani Saad. It occurs from around 2,000 to 3,000 metres above sea level mainly in rocky habitats.
They occur both on the ground and climbing rocky surfaces, including stone-walls and human habitations where they are sometimes common. The Agama below is missing part of its tail.
Jem Babbington
Jem Babbington is a keen birder and amateur photographer located in Dhahran, Eastern Saudi Arabia where he goes birding every day. Jem was born in England and is a serious local patch and local area birder who has been birding for almost forty years and has birded in more than fifty countries. Jem is learning to ring birds in Bahrain as a perfect way to learn more about the birds of the area. Saudi Arabia is a very much under-watched and under-recorded country.
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