Ardea cinerea | UAE National Red List of Birds

Taxa
Ardea cinerea | Linnaeus, 1758
Publication
UAE National Red List of Birds
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
The majority of occurrences of this species within the UAE are likely to be of wintering birds and migrant individuals on passage to and from the breeding grounds (Pedersen et al. 2017). Numbers are highest between late July and May, when the species is very common at coastal wetlands, e.g. at Khor Dubai (Richardson 1990, Pedersen et al. 2017). Some non-breeding individuals may stay in the country over summer (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 inhabits any kind of wetland, from open, sandy coasts and lagoons to sheltered creeks, ponds, lakes, reservoirs, sewage treatment plants and ornamental ponds in cities (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It is an opportunistic feeder; it takes predominantly fish, but also insects, reptiles and small birds (Jennings 2010). It occasionally establishes feeding territories, where it hunts by stalking or standing still to wait for prey (Jennings 2010). It feeds at any time of the day or at night, but is most active at dawn or dusk, typically roosting communally or solitary during the middle of the day and at night (Brown et al. 1982, Kushlan and Hancock 2005). The species is migratory. Individuals wintering in or migrating through the UAE breed during spring in Siberia, where they may form large colonies (Kushlan and Hancock 2005, Jennings 2010). Most migratory movements occur nocturnally in small parties or larger flocks of 200 to 250 individuals (Brown et al. 1982).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least Concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a moderately sized non-breeding population in the UAE, which qualifies it for listing as Vulnerable. The population is increasing within the region, with the breeding population in the wider Arabian Peninsula stable or increasing; therefore, any breeding population outside of the region will likely have a large rescue effect. Therefore, the species is downlisted by two categories to Least Concern at the national level.
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
The most relevant threats to this species within UAE are potentially from wetland land-use changes and possibly oil pollution at coastal sites, although the severity of these threats is essentially unknown.;Individuals that visit UAE may also be impacted upon by other threats outside of the country. In Europe, the species was heavily persecuted in the nineteenth century due to its consumption of fish, which resulted in competition with fishermen and fish farmers (Kushlan and Hancock 2005). Although killing at aquaculture farms has not reduced the global population so far (possibly because it is mostly young birds being killed) (Kushlan and Hancock 2005), large numbers have been killed (Carss 1994, Kushlan and Hancock 2005). Timber harvesting is a threat throughout much of the species's range by removing trees used by nesting colonies and/or disturbing nearby colonies (Kushlan and Hancock 2005). The species is also susceptible to avian influenza (Melville and Shortridge 2006) and avian botulism (van Heerden 1974), so may be threatened by future outbreaks of these diseases.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The population would have been a little smaller but still moderately sized, sufficient to qualify as Vulnerable, adjusted down by two categories to LC.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Ardea cinerea Animalia Chordata Aves Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Ardea