Taxon name
Gallinula chloropus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Gallinula chloropus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Gallinula chloropus and G. galeata (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as G. chloropus following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
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
This species has a large and increasing breeding population in the UAE and it is assessed 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
A breeding population recently colonised the country; the first successful breeding attempts were confirmed in April 1989 in Sharjah Emirate near Kalba and Sharjah City. Breeding has further been confirmed in Hatta Wadi and Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). The species has since been breeding regularly, but it is localised (Pedersen et al. 2017). The species also visits the UAE as a wintering species and migrant individuals occur on passage to and from the breeding grounds (Pedersen;et al. 2017). It is common at wetlands throughout the country, from the mountains at the border to Oman;to permanent water sites along the east and west coasts, as well as artificial lakes (Jennings 2010, Pedersen;et al. 2017, S. Alam in litt. 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species inhabits all kinds of permanent wetland sites (Jennings 2010). It particularly prefers freshwater marshy pools and lakes with abundant vegetation cover along the borders, floating and emergent vegetation, dense reeds and wet bushy areas near watercourses offering abundant hiding places (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011, R. Khan pers. comm.). Occasionally, it occurs in eutrophic water near dump sites, in saline habitats or mangroves. Recently, populations became established in artificial waterbodies (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019, R. Khan (Dubai Safari, Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). When foraging, it may venture into open water or dry habitats, such as crop fields and gardens near wetlands (Jennings 2010). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it is omnivorous and opportunistic, its diet consisting of earthworms, crustaceans, molluscs, insects, spiders, small fish, tadpoles and occasionally birds eggs, as well as plant matter such as filamentous algae, moss and the vegetative parts of reeds and aquatic plants, as well as berries and fruits (del Hoyo et al. 1996). While the species forms small flocks during the non-breeding season, it becomes territorial and aggressive with the onset of the breeding season in early spring. The breeding season is very long; eggs have been recorded from January in the UAE until August on the Saudi Arabian coast of the Arabian Gulf, the majority of chicks have been observed between April and July (Jennings 2010). The nest is a bulky cup constructed from twigs and waterside vegetation, which is placed on floating or partially submerged objects on water, in reed beds or adjacent to water (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Jennings 2010). Clutches contain around eight, seldom up to 13 eggs (Jennings 2010). Part of the population in the UAE is migratory; individuals breed from eastern Europe to central Asia and move south towards the UAE or from September to December and return again from March to May (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Jennings 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
In UAE the main threat to the species is development and infilling of wetland habitats (Aspinall 1996).The species is susceptible to avian influenza (Melville and Shortridge 2006, Gaidet et al. 2007) and avian botulism (Rocke 2006) and may be threatened by future outbreaks of these diseases.
History
Aspinall (1996) listed 20-200 mature individuals, qualifying as CR, adjusted by one category to EN. There were very much fewer areas of suitable habitat at that time.
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
