Long-term breeding bird survey in Khorasan-e-Razavi province along with a framework for monitoring breeding birds in Iran

Status and distribution of breeding birds in Iran is poorly known, especially in the north-east of Iran. In this study we present the result of our long-term field observations of breeding birds in northeastern Iran, Khorasan-e-Razavi province (Mashhad County, Sabzevar County, Sarakhs County, Dargaz County, Quchan County, Torbat-e Heydarieh County) since 2008. We confirmed the breeding status of 54 bird species, some of which, namely Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug, Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii and European roller Coracias garrulus are threatened. We believe that the number of breeding birds in Khorasan-e-Razavi province is much higher than reported here, but further observations and evidence is required to confirm the exact number. Due to the importance of uniform data collection and monitoring of breeding birds, we provide a framework for recording these data within Iran.