Taxon name
Motacilla alba
Linnaeus, 1758
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Motacilla alba
Linnaeus, 1758
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
Linnaeus, 1758
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
Although this species has a relatively small non-breeding population size within the UAE, there is no strong evidence to support any deterioration in the population (and it is likely that there is a rescue effect from outside the country). Therefore, 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 very common migrant and winter visitor in the UAE. It occurs throughout the country between mid-September and April (Pedersen et al. 2017). Individuals wintering in or migrating through the UAE breed throughout Eurasia.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species inhabits a wide variety of non-forested, open habitats, including parks, large gardens, cultivations, livestock enclosures, damp grassland, sewage treatment plants, roadsides and roundabouts (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it feeds on a wide range of small invertebrates, as well as fish fry, crumbs and other household scraps. At dusk, the species forms flocks to roost (Richardson 1990). The species is migratory and breeds between early April and August.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Climate change is thought to affect the timing of migration for this species (Ahas and Aasa 2006,;Sokolov and Gordienko 2008,;Kullberg;et al.;2015), but it is unknown whether this is having significant impacts on the population trend within UAE. Artificial habitats that favour this species within the UAE may be transient, so monitoring of such habitats will be important.
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
