Many species of birds live in the En Gedi reserve permanently. The most noticeable among them is Tristram's grackle (Onychognathus tristramil) - a black bird with orange-tipped wings and a loud singing voice that rings throughout the reserve.
The fan-tailed raven (Corvus rhipidurus) hovers over the reserve's peaks as it sounds its characteristic loud cries.
The Arabian babblers (Turdoides squamiceps) - a species of social songbirds, spend a large part of their time on the ground and are distinguished by their long tail and light brown colouring.
Another permanent resident of the reserve is the Blackstart (Cercome/a me/anura) a small grey bird whose singular characteristic is its spreading black tail.
The white-crowned black wheatear (Oenanthe /eucopyga) stands out due to its contrasting black and white feathers and its habit of sitting on top of rocks, thereby marking out its territory.
The sand partridge (Ammoperdrix heYI) is a very common ground bird, often seen running around on the banks of the river looking for food.
The cliffs of the Judean Desert and En Gedi reserve are important nesting I. sites for a variety of birds of prey, such as the Griffon vultures (Gyps fu/vus) , the Egyptian vulture (Nephron percnopeterus) , Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), and Barbary falcon (Fa/co pe/egrinoides).
One of the nocturnal birds of prey occasionally observed in the reserve is Hume's tawny owl (Stryx but/en), which feeds mostly upon small rodents and insects.
The Syrian-African Rift Valley serves as an important migration route for;'" many species of songbirds, water birds and birds of prey.
Over 200 different species of birds can be observed in the En Gedi oasis during the migration periods that take place in the fall and in the spring. Some of these migrating birds, such as the white and the red-breasted wagtails, abide in the reserve and spend the winter there.
The water sources of En Gedi have always attracted both people and animals, and for many generations the region was the site of flourishing agricultural settlements. The profusion of water and the hot climate provided En Gedi with obvious advantages for cultivating m unique plants and reaping good harvests. It is possible to find traces of ancient irrigation systems throughout the reserve, as well as once-cultivated terraces. There are 15 cisterns/reservoirs (the smallest of which is 80 m3 and the largest, approximately 1,500 m3 - the total area of reservoirs and cisterns comes to approximately 6,000 m3).
In addition, it is possible to discern sections of aqueducts that were either hewn out of the rock or man-made. These impressive remnants testify to an intensive ancient cultivation culture, using every available piece of land. The total area cultivated in the past came to approximately 1,100 dunams (275 acres),while today, Kibbutz En Gedi cultivates only 500 dunams (125 acres).