Taxon name
Anas acuta
Linnaeus, 1758
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Anas acuta
Linnaeus, 1758
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
Linnaeus, 1758
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a restricted non-breeding population in the UAE, which qualifies it for listing as Endangered. The population;within the country;is uncertain, however, recent data suggest that there may be a decline. In addition, there is a decline at the global level (although still considered;Least Concern).;The species is precautionarily retained as Endangered at the national level.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species commonly occurs throughout the UAE during winter or on passage to and from its sub-Arctic breeding grounds (Pedersen et al. 2017). Occasionally individuals remain in the country over summer (Pedersen et al. 2017).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs along sheltered coasts, at estuaries and tidal lagoons, as well as at fresh and brackish shallow ponds further inland and at water treatment plants (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere, this species is omnivorous and opportunistic, its diet consisting of algae, seeds, tubers, and the vegetative parts of aquatic plants, sedges and grasses, as well as aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and small fish (Johnsgard 1978, Brown et al. 1982, del Hoyo et al. 1992, Hockey et al. 2005). The species is migratory. Individuals wintering in the UAE breed in solitary pairs or loose groups between April and June in sub-Arctic regions (Madge and Burn 1988, Richardson 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1992). The species is highly gregarious in winter and on passage, often forming enormous concentrations (Madge and Burn 1988, Scott and Rose 1996). It feeds nocturnally; flocks roost by day on open water (Brown et al. 1982, Hockey et al. 2005). The species is shy and rarely remains at the same site over the winter (Richardson 1990).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The most relevant threats within UAE are changes in coastal land-use and the possibility of oil pollution, but the severity of these threats towards this species is unknown. Wetland habitat loss, petroleum pollution and reclamation of coastal areas for industrial development also pose a threat to this species in other parts of its range (Scott and Rose 1996, BirdLife International 2015).Additionally, individuals of this species that visit UAE are threatened by a range of other threats that operate outside of the country. For instance, the species is threatened by wetland drainage, peat-extraction, changing wetland management practices (decreased grazing and mowing in meadows leading to scrub over-growth) and the burning and mowing of reeds in Russia (Grishanov 2006). Over-exploitation is a concern in large parts of its global range (Baldassarre and Bolen 1994, Kear 2005, Balmaki and Barati 2006, Schmidt 2006).;Pintails are predated by feral cats Felis catus and rats Rattus norvegicus on islands (del Hoyo et al. 1992), and the species is susceptible to avian botulism (Rocke 2006) and avian influenza (Melville and Shortridge 2006, Gaidet et al. 2007) so may be threatened by future outbreaks of these diseases.
History
In 1996, the species was recorded in reasonable numbers at some localities, with a lower recording effort. It is likely to also qualify as Endangered, reduced by one category to Vulnerable (D1) based on potential rescue from the global population, which assumed to have been in better status at that time.
Publication
Burfield, I.J., Westrip, J., Sheldon, R.D., Hermes, C., Wheatley, H., Smith, D., Harding, K.A. Allen, D.J. and Alshamsi, O. 2021. UAE National Red List of Birds. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
