Taxon name
Thalasseus sandvicensis
(Latham, 1787)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Thalasseus sandvicensis
(Latham, 1787)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Latham, 1787)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Thalasseus sandvicensis (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Sterna.
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)
D1
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a very small non-breeding population in the UAE, however the population is now thought to be stable. Therefore, the species could be listed as Endangered at the national level.However, it is thought that the likelihood of significant immigration from the global population is likely, and the species is downlisted by one category to VU.
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 wintering birds and migrant individuals on passage to and from the breeding grounds. Numbers are highest between late September and early May, when the species is very common along the coast and on coastal wetlands (Richardson 1990, Pedersen et al. 2017). Some non-breeding individuals stay 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 the coast. It inhabits remote sandy or rocky beaches and mudflats, but is also found at coastal freshwater sites like shallow pools and creeks (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It forages over shallow inshore water or up to 300 m offshore (Jennings 2010). There is not much known about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it consists predominantly of surface-dwelling marine fish as well as small shrimps, marine worms and squid, which it takes by plunge-diving or from the water surface (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998, Jennings 2010). The species is also known to prey on shorebird chicks (Jennings 2010). The species is migratory; the main migration period lasts from October to November and from March to April (Jennings 2010). Individuals wintering in or passing through the UAE breed along the shores of the Caspian and Black seas.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Within the UAE, the main threats to this species are likely to be from coastal land-use changes and possibly oil pollution, but the severity of these threats is essentially unknown. Impacts from fisheries bycatch and marine plastic pollution require further research.Outside of the UAE the species is impacted by other threats which could impact individuals that visit UAE. As only a few colonies exist each year, this tern is highly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance (Garthe and Flore 2007) and is known to abandon eggs en masse (Gochfield et al. 2018). This species has also suffered declines due to egg collecting and hunting, which are locally significant in some areas of its range (Gochfield et al. 2018).
History
It is also considered to have been Vulnerable in 1996 following a one Category regional adjustment.
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
