TEHRAN – Two rare species of rock bunting and masked booby have been spotted for the first time in Bandar Genaveh, southern Bushehr province, Mohammad Tolideh, chief of Bushehr department of environment has announced.

The rock bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, which breeds in northwest Africa, southern Europe east to central Asia, and the Himalayas. It is partially migratory, with northern populations wintering further south, mainly within the breeding range of the resident southern populations. It is a rare wanderer to western Europe.

The masked booby is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. They breed on islands in tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic. The masked booby is a fairly sedentary bird, wintering at sea, but rarely seen far away from the breeding colonies.

These birds have been identified by two groups of environmentalists and nature photographers, who have captured photos of them and published on Iran Bird Records Committee website, he further explained.

Rock bunting and masked booby had been seen before only in the provinces of Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan, he added, IRNA reported on Saturday.
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