Motacilla cinerea | UAE National Red List of Birds

Taxa
Motacilla cinerea | Tunstall, 1771
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 August and April, when the species is fairly common at freshwater sites throughout the country. The species is rarely observed in May (Pedersen et al. 2017). Individuals wintering in or passing through the UAE breed throughout Eurasia.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs on inland freshwater sites, including wooded streams, mountain wadis near rivers, pools and pool margins, sewage treatment plants and wet grassland (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it feeds mainly on insects, but also takes freshwater shrimps (Gammarus), terrestrial snails and spiders. The species is migratory and breeds between late March and August near watercourses in Eurasia.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
D1
Assessment rationale/justification
Retained in the UAE list because of its regional status as a breeding bird in the Arabian Peninsula, within the UAE this species has an extremely small non-breeding population size. This tiny population size meets the threshold for listing as Critically Endangered under Criterion D. However, after regional adjustment it is listed here as Vulnerable under Criterion D, as it has a relatively small population size in UAE compared to the regional and global population.
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
Symes et al. (2015) do not note any specific threats for this species despite it being considered Near Threatened as a breeding bird in the Arabian Peninsula due to a small population size; and indeed it has been suggested that stream pollution may not significantly impact the species (del Hoyo et al. 2004). Artificial habitats that favour this species may be transient, so monitoring of such habitats will be important.
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
Motacilla cinerea Animalia Chordata Aves Passeriformes Motacillidae Motacilla