Taxon name
Anthus cervinus
(Pallas, 1811)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Anthus cervinus
(Pallas, 1811)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Pallas, 1811)
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
This species has a very small non-breeding population size within the UAE, small enough that it falls below the threshold for listing as Endangered under Criterion D. However, it is likely that there is the chance for a rescue effect for this population and so the category has undergone a regional adjustment. Therefore, the species is listed here as Vulnerable under Criterion D1.
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 in the UAE during winter and on passage. Numbers are highest between mid-September and early May, when the species is common to very common in humid areas throughout the country (Pedersen et al. 2017). Individuals wintering in or migrating through the UAE breed in the Arctic.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs in humid areas and usually near water, favouring marshes, damp grassland, wet hollows, surface water margins and cultivations (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). During winter, the species forms small flocks at its preferred locations (Richardson 1990). There is no information available about its feeding habits in the UAE; elsewhere it forages on the ground and its prey is mainly insects but also other invertebrates, and some vegetable matter (Tyler 2016). The species is migratory and breeds between late May and July in the arctic tundra.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Artificial habitats that favour this species may be transient, so monitoring of such habitats will be important. The species is also vulnerable to future climate change (Virkkala et al. 2008).
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
