Taxon name
Circus macrourus
(Gmelin, 1770)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Circus macrourus
(Gmelin, 1770)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Gmelin, 1770)
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 very small non-breeding population in the UAE, which qualifies it for listing as Endangered. On a global scale, the species is listed as Near Threatened due to a moderately rapid population decline. Therefore, breeding populations outside of the country may not have a large rescue effect. The population trend within the country is not known. Given the global situation, the species is 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 occurs throughout the UAE during passage to and from the breeding grounds. A small population overwinters in the country, when it may occur over large parts of the country (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 is found in open habitat, favouring steppe, grassland, agricultural fields and sandy desert (Aspinall and Porter 2011). The species is migratory, with most birds wintering in sub-Saharan Africa or south-east Asia. Birds occur in the UAE between September and March, occasionally until April, and mainly breed in the steppes of southern Russia (Richardson 1990). Birds migrate on a broad front, with only minor concentrations at bottleneck sites (del Hoyo et al. 1994, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). Although birds are most often seen singly, females and juveniles can form parties of 10-15 individuals on migration (Snow and Perrins 1998, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). Birds fly at c.1-9 m above the ground when hunting (del Hoyo et al. 1994, Snow and Perrins 1998) and fly generally higher on migration, but tend to remain from c.1-15 m above the ground (Brown et al. 1982).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
As a migratory species, the population of Pallid Harrier that visits UAE may be impacted by threats within the country and outside of it. Within its breeding range, the species is primarily threatened by the destruction and degradation of steppe grasslands through conversion to arable land, burning of vegetation, intensive grazing of wet pastures and the clearance of shrubs and tall weeds (Galushin et al. 2003, E. Bragin in litt. 2007). Fires are started by farmers, arsonists and dry thunderstorms(E. Bragin in litt. 2007). Outside of its breeding grounds, the species is thought to be negatively affected by the loss of grassland due to burning, cutting and overgrazing (Galushin;et al.;2003) and by the intensification of agriculture (R. Simmons in litt. 1999, Galushin et al. 2003), although this requires further research; and the latter is not deemed to be a particular threat within the UAE.
History
It is assessed that in 1996, the national Red List status of this species would have been the same as in this assessment.
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
