Taxon name
Anas crecca
Linnaeus, 1758
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Anas crecca
Linnaeus, 1758
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
Linnaeus, 1758
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Common Teal;A. crecca;(del Hoyo;et al.;2014) has been split into;Common Teal;A. crecca and Green-winged Teal;Anas carolinensis;(Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International 2020).;;This change follows a revision to the scoring of the;males' vertical white breast-side line, due to its role as a signal in display. As such the revised scoring is as follows:;male;A. carolinensis;differs from A. crecca;male in its vertical white breast-side line, replicated on rear flank (3),;lack of white horizontal scapular stripe (2), and lack of narrow buff supercilium (above broad green eyestripe) (1); various other very minor differences cannot be scored (plumage characters capped at three), differences in measurements do not exist, behavioural differences are matters of frequency rather than type, and genetic evidence, while suggesting paraphyly involving;A. flavirostris, indicates that hybridization is relatively widespread in Beringia (allow 1 for broad hybrid zone), indicating that;carolinensis;does warrant species status.;Aleutian race nimia remains treated as a synonym of a monotyic A. crecca.
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
Assessed as
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a large and increasing non-breeding population in the UAE, which qualifies it for listing as Least Concern. The population is stable within the region. Conditions outside of the UAE are considered unlikely to deteriorate, so there is a potentially very high rescue effect from individuals outside of the region.
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 is a common to very common passage migrant and winter visitor to the UAE (Pedersen et al. 2017). It occurs throughout the country between September and April, with numbers being highest from late October to mid-March (Richardson 1990).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs in wetlands, from salt marshes to fresh and brackish inland ponds, lakes, ditches and standing water (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011), including dams in the Hajar Mountains. It is rarely found on tidal creeks and lagoons (Richardson 1990). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere during winter, the species mainly takes the seeds of aquatic plants (e.g. emergent and submerged macrophytes), grasses, sedges and agricultural grains (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Kear 2005). The species is migratory; individuals winter in the UAE between September and April before returning to their breeding grounds in Eurasia, where they breed from May onwards in single pairs or loose groups (Madge and Burn 1988, Richardson 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1992). Outside of the breeding season, the species forms large concentrations, with large flocks of 30-40 and sometimes hundreds of individuals gathering at winter roosting sites (Brown et al. 1982, Madge and Burn 1988).
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.Individuals of this species that visit UAE are also threatened by a range of threats that operate outside of the country: for instance, the species is threatened by lowland habitat loss and degradation (e.g. through wetland drainage) (Musil 2006) and by upland habitat loss due to afforestation and other land-use changes (Kear 2005). The species suffers mortality as a result of lead shot ingestion (Mondain-Monval et al. 2002), and is intensively hunted in its some areas (del Hoyo et al. 1992; e.g. Iran [Balmaki and Barati 2006]). The species is threatened by disturbance from human recreational activities (Pease et al. 2005),;and construction work (Burton et al. 2002). 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
The species would also have qualified as Least Concern in 1996.
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
