Taxon name
Motacilla cinerea
Tunstall, 1771
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Motacilla cinerea
Tunstall, 1771
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
Tunstall, 1771
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
Retained in the UAE list because of its regional status as a breeding bird in the Arabian Peninsula, within the UAE this species has an extremely small non-breeding population size. This tiny population size meets the threshold for listing as Critically Endangered under Criterion D. However, after regional adjustment it is listed here as Vulnerable under Criterion D, as it has a relatively small population size in UAE compared to the regional and global population.
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 (Pedersen et al. 2017). Numbers are highest between late August and April, when the species is fairly common at freshwater sites throughout the country. The species is rarely observed in May (Pedersen et al. 2017). Individuals wintering in or passing 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 occurs on inland freshwater sites, including wooded streams, mountain wadis near rivers, pools and pool margins, sewage treatment plants and wet grassland (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it feeds mainly on insects, but also takes freshwater shrimps (Gammarus), terrestrial snails and spiders. The species is migratory and breeds between late March and August near watercourses in Eurasia.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Symes et al. (2015) do not note any specific threats for this species despite it being considered Near Threatened as a breeding bird in the Arabian Peninsula due to a small population size; and indeed it has been suggested that stream pollution may not significantly impact the species (del Hoyo et al. 2004). Artificial habitats that favour this species 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
