Taxon name
Vanellus leucurus
(Lichtenstein, 1823)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Vanellus leucurus
(Lichtenstein, 1823)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Lichtenstein, 1823)
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 small breeding and non-breeding population in the UAE, which might qualify it for listing as Critically Endangered as a breeding species and Endangered in winter. However, since the first breed record in 1996, the population has increased within the country and it is stable in the wider Arabian Peninsula; thus, the potential for immigration from outside the UAE remains. Therefore, the species's status has been adjusted down by one category to Endangered as a breeding species and Vulnerable in winter. The breeding season takes precedence here, so it is listed as Endangered.
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
The majority of occurrences of this species within the UAE are likely to be of winter visitors and migrant individuals on passage to and from the breeding grounds (Pedersen et al. 2017). These individuals occur in the country mainly between August and April (Pedersen et al. 2017). In the 1990s, a resident breeding population became established in the country, with the first breeding confirmed in Ajman and possibly Sharjah emirates in 1996. These sites have been abandoned since, but since 1999 the species has been regularly breeding near Dubai City (Warsan Lake), and since 2009, east of Abu Dhabi City (Jennings 2010, 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
During the breeding season, this species inhabits eutrophic freshwater sites like marshes with effluent water input or nearby rubbish dumps, as well as pools with bare mud areas or tall reed beds (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). During the non-breeding season, it prefers shallow coastal lagoons. During migration, it may be found at any type of freshwater body, including temporary rain pools, sewage lagoons, brackish coastal pools and tidal ponds (Jennings 2010). Its diet consists mainly of insects, but also of worms, molluscs and crustaceans, which it takes from soft mud and in shallow water (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Jennings 2010). At the beginning of the breeding season in February, the species establishes territories in loose colonies (Hayman et al. 1986, del Hoyo et al. 1996, Jennings 2010). The nest is a shallow scrape, lined with small sticks, stones or shells (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Jennings 2010). It is placed in muddy areas or close to bushes near water (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Jennings 2010). Eggs are laid between March and May (Jennings 2010). The species is partially migratory (del Hoyo et al. 1996). The migrant population in the UAE breeds in central Asia from Turkey to Pakistan and moves south during the non-breeding season, with parts of the population migrating further south to the eastern Sahel in Africa (Jennings 2010). Outside of the breeding season, the species occurs singly, in pairs or small groups, with small migratory flocks of 1-6 individuals and wintering flocks of 6-25 individuals (Urban et al. 1986, del Hoyo et al. 1996).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The loss of wetland habitats in Mesopotamia owing to drainage, and wetland destruction in Iraq (the core breeding and wintering areas) poses a threat to this species (Stroud;et al. 2005). Land-use changes and oil pollution of coastal sites within UAE could have an impact, but the severity of such threats is unknown.
History
The first breeding records was in 1996. The species is not backcast, as it would not have been considered to be regularly breeding or over-wintering (see Porter et al. 1996) in 1996 and would not have been assessed. It would also depend on timing of a “1996' assessment, as if done pre-breeding attempt then it wouldn't have been assessed.
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
