Taxon name
Aquila fasciata
(Vieillot, 1822)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Aquila fasciata
(Vieillot, 1822)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Vieillot, 1822)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Aquila fasciata (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously listed as;A. fasciatus.
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
Critically Endangered
Qualifying criteria (if given)
A4acd; C1+2a(i,ii); D
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a very small and rapidly declining breeding population in the UAE, which qualify it for listing as Critically 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
A small number is resident in the mountainous region in the north-eastern part of the UAE (Richardson 1990, Pedersen;et al.;2017). The majority of records of this species in the UAE are likely to be of visiting individuals, which spend the non-breeding season in the central and northern part of the country (Pedersen et al. 2017), although these may refer to dispersing juveniles (see Porter et al. 1996), which would not count towards a Red List assessment.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The species inhabits mountainous and rocky habitats, forested foothills and open country interspersed with trees and bushes (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). During winter, it is also found on plains and in semi-desert (Aspinall and Porter 2011). In summer, juveniles move to wetlands, irrigated fields and sewage ponds (Jennings 2010). Its diet principally comprises small or medium-sized birds, mammals and reptiles (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, Jennings 2010). The species identifies prey during soaring flights, then approaches it hidden by tree and bush cover, before surprising it with a bounding flight (Jennings 2010). The species is monogamous and territorial throughout the year. The breeding period in the UAE probably lasts from January to June (Jennings 2010). The nest is a large platform with a shallow cup lined with soft material. It is placed on a remote cliff ledge, sometimes hidden in a rock crevice (Jennings 2010). Usually, clutches contain two eggs, but only one chick survives until fledging (Jennings 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
A number of threats have been highlighted for outside of UAE, which could have an impact within the country.;Juveniles suffer high mortality from collisions with power lines (Rollan;et al. 2010). Declining prey availability, increasing human disturbance and poaching at nest sites, and agricultural intensification are thought to be key factors in the species's global decline (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, Orta;et al.;2016). It was affected by pesticide use in the mid-20<sup>th</sup>;century, and since then populations have not recovered to their pre-organochlorine levels, although within the UAE itself this is not thought to be a significant threat.
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
