Photo: Samira Nazari

Home sweet home: thousands of migratory birds land in Iran’s Allah-Abad wetland

For the second consecutive year, Allah-Abad wetland is becoming a refuge for species of migratory birds including flamingo, crane, mallard, bustard, see-see partridge, heron, and even some native ones, such as eagles, falcons, and bitterns. Situated in Qazvin province, west-central Iran, the natural wetland was revived after years being deserted due to drought and heatwaves, thanks to rising rainfalls. According to local officials, some of these birds fly their wings on the northern route from the Caspian Sea to Siberia in Russia, and others on the West Asian route in North Africa.