Taxon name
Pluvialis squatarola
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Pluvialis squatarola
(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
Assessed as
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The population overwintering in the UAE is moderately sized (1,000-2,000 mature individuals) and;the number of birds that overwinters in the country appears to be increasing. Therefore, the species is assessed as Least Concern.
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 particularly numerous throughout the country during August to October on migration southward to the wintering grounds and, in lower numbers, in April on migration northward, as well as during winter along the coast (Richardson 1990, Pedersen et al. 2017). Some individuals stay over summer, but do not breed (Richardson 1990, 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 frequents intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes along the coast (Richardson 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1996, Aspinall and Porter 2011). Particularly during migration, it is also found further inland at wetlands and freshwater margins like lakes and pools (Richardson 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1996, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere, when on the coast in its wintering range, the species takes marine polychaete worms, molluscs and crustaceans, and occasionally insects or earthworms when in inland habitats on passage (Johnsgard 1981, del Hoyo et al. 1996).It is gregarious during winter, often roosting in large flocks containing up to several thousand individuals (del Hoyo et al. 1996). The species is fully migratory (del Hoyo et al. 1996). Individuals occurring in the UAE during passage and winter breed in central Siberia; part of the population travels further south to winter in southern Africa (Richardson 1990).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Changes in coastal land-use and the possibility of oil pollution could affect this species in UAE, but the severity of these threats towards this species is unknown. Outside the UAE, the species is potentially threatened by disturbance from recreational activities (Cutts et al. 2009), intertidal oyster culture (Gittings and O'Donoghue 2012) and urban and industrial development, which could have an impact on individuals that visit the UAE. Warmer temperatures brought about by climate change are thought to affect this species (Maclean;et al. 2008).
History
The species is also considered to have been 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
