Birds found in UAE's Deserts and Dunes
 In the northern emirates the sand desert is punctuated by groves of trees, Prosopis cinerea , (which are usually heavily grazed by camels and goats), which nevertheless host desert lesser whitethroat in winter, Upcher's warbler in spring and nesting yellow-throated sparrow from April to August. Open desert is the best place to find hoopoe lark Alaemon alaudipes, desert warbler Sylvia nana and desert wheatear Oenanthe deserti , while the flat gravel areas between the dunes is favoured by flocks of Black-crowned finch lark. Brown-necked ravens Corvus ruficollis are usually encountered in the sand desert areas, particularly inland from Umm al Quwain.
Nearer the mountains, east of a line from Al Ain to Ras al-Khaimah, the sand dunes give way to a broad gravel plain scattered with Acacia tortilis . This savannah plain is relatively rich ornithologically, particularly as you approach the base of the mountains. Red-tailed wheatear (mid October to March) and Arabian babbler are most likely here, while eastern pied wheatear (a scarce winter visitor late September to February) is likely to be found perched low in a tree at the base of the foothills. Qarn Nazwa, an interesting rocky outcrop between Dubai and Hatta has been a regular winter site for the species in recent years. Twelve species of wheatear occur in the Emirates and are best separated using a good field guide.
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