Alaemon alaudipes | UAE National Red List of Birds

Taxa
Alaemon alaudipes | (Desfontaines, 1789)
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Birds
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species is a fairly common resident in the UAE. It is distributed across the entire country (Pedersen et al. 2017).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species is especially common on desert plains, but is generally found in a wide variety of flat habitats, including sandy and gravel desert, semi-desert and coastal dunes (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). Even though it is a shy species, it is frequently found in proximity to humans, e.g. in the outskirts of towns, in farmland and along the beach (Jennings 2010). The species is able to tolerate the hot and arid conditions of the sandy desert, and shows a variety of behavioural adaptations to combat the extreme heat, like standing in the shade, hiding in the holes of Spiny-tailed Lizards Uromastyx microlepis, or lying on shaded, damp ground (Jennings 2010). It feeds on invertebrates, which it obtains by digging in soft soil, chasing and aerial pursuits, or by searching in rock crevices. Occasionally, it takes small invertebrates like lizards (Jennings 2010). The species is territorial throughout the year. The breeding season lasts from February to July or even October, depending on the amount of rainfall (de Juana and Suárez 2019). The courtship display of the males include frequent calls with rising and falling notes, which consist of trilled whistles and clicks (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). Males also perform distraction displays when the nest or chicks are threatened (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). The nest consists of a cup dug into the ground, often in open conditions and exposed to the sun. Nests observed in the Dubai desert were located in bushes of Zygophyllum hamiense and made of soft twigs and lined with fine grass and feathers (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). Clutches contain two eggs; both sexes take turns in incubating and rearing the young (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019)
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Near Threatened
Assessment status abreviation
NT
Assessment status criteria
C2a(ii)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a small population size within the UAE, which is suspected to be in decline as a result of ongoing threats. As such it is assessed here as Near Threatened under criterion C2a(ii).
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Changes to land-use (particularly the planting of trees) in desert areas can have local effects on this species (Aspinall 1996), and the species is also negatively impacted by urban development, and the expansion of agriculture. A high rate of nest failure has been recorded, either due to trampling by goats and humans, depredation or overwhelming by drifting sand (Jennings 2010). Off-road driving and the failure of rainfall may also be having a negative impact (S. Alam in litt. 2019).; Overgrazing outside of Protected Areas could also be an issue.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
This species is assessed here as Near Threatened under criterion C2a(ii), as it is suspected that its relatively small population size is undergoing a decline. As key threats such as urban and agricultural expansion likely had minimal impacts on the species in 1996, the backcast assessment for then is considered here to be Least Concern.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Alaemon alaudipes Animalia Chordata Aves Passeriformes Alaudidae Alaemon