Galerida cristata | UAE National Red List of Birds

Taxa
Galerida cristata | (Linnaeus, 1758)
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 very common, abundant resident occurring almost across the entire country (Pedersen et al. 2017). It has colonised Qarnayn, Abu al-Abyad and Das islands in the 1990s, as well as remote desert areas in the south and west of the UAE (Richardon 1990, Jennings 2010, 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 grassy or arid country and semi-desert, given that sufficient vegetation cover is present (Jennings 2010). It is particularly numerous near human settlements, on farmlands, gardens and cultivated areas, as well as along roadsides (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). The species generally becomes scarcer with increasing aridity and distance from human habitations (Jennings 2010). It feeds on the ground, occasionally digging into the surface with the bill (Jennings 2010). It feeds on invertebrates and plant material, such as seeds. Elsewhere, it also feeds on human food scraps, such as bread, fruits and plant shoots (Jennings 2010). The availability of drinking water is important for this species (Jennings 2010). The breeding behaviour is not well explored. In Arabia, the breeding period peaks between May and June, but nesting may already occur from January on (Jennings 2010). The species is monogamous and usually lays a clutch of one to five eggs. The nest is a depression on the ground with an untidy lining of grass or other vegetation (de Juana and Suárez 2004), which placed in the shade of a clump of grass or other plants (Jennings 2010).
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 very large resident population within the UAE, which is suspected to be potentially increasing. Therefore, it is listed here as Least Concern.
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
In Europe the use of pesticides has negatively affected populations (Tucker and Heath 1994), but this may not be a significant threat to this species within UAE. Predation by cats,;Felis catus,;has been noted to cause local declines on the Arabian Peninsula (Symes et al. 2015). Overgrazing outside of Protected Areas could be be an additional threat within UAE.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
It is assessed that in 1996, the national Red List status of this species would have been the same as in this assessment.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Galerida cristata Animalia Chordata Aves Passeriformes Alaudidae Galerida