Taxon name
Acrocephalus stentoreus
(Ehrenberg, 1833)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Acrocephalus stentoreus
(Ehrenberg, 1833)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Ehrenberg, 1833)
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 relatively small breeding population for this species potentially could warrant a listing as Near Threatened under criterion D1. However, the population is thought to be continuing to increase, and there is likely a rescue effect for this species. Therefore, after regional adjustment, the species is listed here 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 a common resident in the UAE. It is most common along the coast, but occurs locally at wetlands further inland (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
Along the coast, this species occurs in stands of mangrove, mainly Grey Mangrove Avicennia marina, favouring low, thick stands over tall, open trees (Jennings 2010). Further inland and at freshwater sites near the coast, the species is found in Phragmites reed beds (Jennings 2010). During winter, the species ranges into a wider variety of habitats, including scrub, woodland and date gardens (Aspinall and Porter 2011). The species is secretive, reluctant to fly and generally keeps under vegetation cover (Jennings 2010). It feeds mainly on insects and was once observed killing a gecko (Jennings 2010). In mangrove habitat, it forages on exposed mud near the base of trees and gleans foliage; in reed beds it picks prey from or near the water surface (Jennings 2010). The breeding period lasts from March to early July, when up to three eggs are laid. Nests can be constructed from grass and twigs and woven to branches (Jennings 2010). It has been suggested that the species is double-brooded, but this has not been conclusively proven yet (Jennings 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
No major threats are known for this species, but urban expansion could have an impact in the future; and artificial habitats that favour this species may be transient, so monitoring of such habitats will be important.
History
This species has increased its population size since 1996 due to increasing availability of suitable irrigated habitat, and it is suspected that the population size (accounting for regional adjustments) may have been sufficiently small in 1996 that it would have warranted a listing as Near Threatened under criterion D1 then, whereas now (2019) it is assessed as Least Concern.
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
