The Namaqua dove is a small pigeon. It is the only species in the genus Oena. It is found over much of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as Arabia and Madagascar.
Henry Ogg Forbes was a Scottish explorer, ornithologist, and botanist. He also described a new species of spider, Thomisus decipiens.
The desert sparrow is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, found in the Sahara Desert of northern Africa. A similar bird, Zarudny's sparrow, is found in Central Asia and was historically recognised as a subspecies of the desert sparrow, but varies in a number of ways and is now recognised as a separate species by BirdLife International, the IOC World Bird List, and the Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive.
The Kenya sparrow, also known as the Kenya rufous sparrow, is a sparrow found in Kenya and Tanzania. It tends to be found in dry wooded savannah and agricultural areas. Some authorities have lumped the great sparrow (P. motitensis), the Kenya sparrow, and the Socotra sparrow (P. insularis) into P. motitensis following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993). Some authorities also lump Shelley's sparrow and the Kordofan sparrow with this species, or all three with the great sparrow.
The great sparrow, also known as the southern rufous sparrow, is found in southern Africa in dry, wooded savannah and towns.
The Socotra sparrow is a passerine bird endemic to the islands of Socotra, Samhah, and Darsah in the Indian Ocean, off the Horn of Africa. The taxonomy of this species and its relatives is complex, with some authorities, including BirdLife International, recognising this species and the very similar Abd al-Kuri sparrow, as well as several from mainland Africa, as separate, and others lumping all these species and the probably unrelated Iago sparrow.
The Sind sparrow is a passerine bird of the sparrow family, Passeridae, found around the Indus valley region in South Asia specially Sindh. It is also known as the jungle, Sind jungle, or rufous-backed sparrow. Very similar to the related house sparrow, it is smaller and has distinguishing plumage features. As in the house sparrow, the male has brighter plumage than female and young birds, including black markings and a grey crown. Distinctively, the male has a chestnut stripe running down its head behind the eye, and the female has a darker head than other sparrow species. Its main vocalisations are soft chirping calls that are extended into longer songs with other sounds interspersed by breeding males. Historically, this species was thought to be very closely related to the house sparrow, but its closest evolutionary affinities may lie elsewhere. The species was discovered around 1840, but went undetected for several decades afterwards.
Abd al Kuri is a rocky island in the Guardafui Channel. As a part of the Socotra Archipelago of the Socotra Governorate of Yemen, it lies about 65 miles (105 km) southwest of the island of Socotra. It consists of granite and diorite covered by limestone.
The Socotra starling is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is endemic to Socotra island which is off the southeast coast of Yemen.
Lycium sokotranum is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, that is endemic to the Socotra archipelago in the Indian Ocean (Yemen). It is a spiny, much-branched shrub that is <2 m tall. It is widespread and often abundant on coastal plains and limestone plateaus of Socotra and on the central plains of Abd al Kuri.
The Socotra Island xeric shrublands is a terrestrial ecoregion that covers the large island of Socotra and several smaller islands that constitute the Socotra Archipelago. The archipelago is in the western Indian Ocean, east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. Politically the archipelago is part of Yemen, and lies south of the Yemeni mainland.
The Somali golden-winged grosbeak or Somali grosbeak is a finch endemic to Somaliland. It is included as a subspecies in R. socotranus by some authorities, but in recent times the three golden-winged grosbeak populations are usually considered distinct species.
The Socotra golden-winged grosbeak or Socotra grosbeak is a finch endemic to Socotra, an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Yemen. R. socotranus is by some authorities held to be the only species of the then-monotypic genus Rhynchostruthus, including all other golden-winged grosbeaks therein as subspecies. But in recent times the three populations are usually considered a distinct species, with R. socotranus being limited to the Socotra population, the Arabian golden-winged grosbeak becoming R. percivali, and the Somali golden-winged grosbeak R. louisae.
The Kordofan sparrow, also known as the Kordofan rufous sparrow, is a sparrow found only in southwestern Sudan and adjacent border regions of South Sudan and Chad. It is frequently considered a subspecies of the Kenya sparrow, which in turn is considered a subspecies of the great sparrow.
Cissus subaphylla is a low shrub in the grape family Vitaceae. It is endemic to the Yemeni island of Socotra. The plant grows mainly in dry, low-lying areas on alluvial fans or on limestone slopes, and is rarely found above elevations of 300 metres (980 ft), where it is replaced by C. hamaderohensis. It does not have the climbing habit of other Cissus species, and its stems are flattened and gray-green in colour, with relatively small leaves and flowers. The tangled mats of C. subaphylla stems act as a protective covering for plants regularly eaten by goats and other browsing animals; the plant is thus important in the rehabilitation of species such as Dendrosicyos, Maerua and Commiphora.
The wildlife of Yemen is substantial and varied. Yemen is a large country in the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula with several geographic regions, each with a diversity of plants and animals adapted to their own particular habitats. As well as high mountains and deserts, there is a coastal plain and long coastline. The country has links with Europe and Asia, and the continent of Africa is close at hand. The flora and fauna have influences from all these regions and the country also serves as a staging post for migratory birds.
Zarudny's sparrow, also known as the Asian desert sparrow, is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, which occurs in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and formerly in Iran. This species has historically been classified as a subspecies of the desert sparrow, which is otherwise restricted to Africa. However, the species has a number of differences with the African species, including very similar plumage in adult males and females, which suggests this species is distinct enough to be considered separate, and possibly not most closely related to the African birds. Consequently, Zarudny's sparrow is treated as a separate species by BirdLife International, the IOC World Bird List, and the Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive.
The Socotra leaf-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the island of Abd al-Kuri in the Socotra archipelago.
The sharpnose leaf-toed gecko is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Abd al Kuri in the Socotra archipelago.
Mesalina kuri is a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the island of Abd al Kuri in the Socotra Archipelago of Yemen.
