Coracias garrulus | UAE National Red List of Birds

Publication

UAE National Red List of Birds

Location

Countries in Assessment

United Arab Emirates (the)

Country ISO code(s)

ARE

Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?

Off

Scope (Assessment)

National

Taxon

Taxonomic Group

Vertebrates

Taxonomic Group Level 2

Birds

Assessed taxon level

Species

Taxon distribution as listed in assessment

This species visits the UAE between April and early May and between mid-August and October (Pedersen et al. 2017). The country is a stop-over site for migrant individuals on passage between the wintering grounds in Africa and the breeding grounds in western-central Asia (Jennings 2010). It formerly bred in Ras al-Khaimah, and occasionally birds have been recorded over several days during summer in Fujairah and Abu Dhabi emirates (Pedersen et al. 2017).

Habitats and Ecology

Ecological system type

Terrestrial system

Freshwater system

Marine system

Habitat

Habitat details as listed in assessment

This species inhabits open country with large trees (Aspinall and Porter 2011). In Ras al-Khaimah, it occurred in cultivated areas of fodder crops, interspersed with Ghaf Prosopis cineraria and acacia trees (Jennings 2010). There is no information available on its diet in the UAE. Elsewhere, it feeds mainly on medium to large invertebrates (beetles, butterflies, caterpillars, scorpions, spiders, molluscs, earthworms) and rarely on small, defenceless vertebrates (lizards, snakes, frogs, rodents, birds) (Jennings 2010). It migrates in large flocks, passing the UAE in April-May on the journey northward to the breeding grounds, and again in August-October travelling southward (Jennings 2010). On the former breeding site in Ras al-Khaimah, egg-laying occurred in late April to early May. The pairs in Ras al-Khaimah nested in loose colonies (Jennings 2010). Clutch size and nests in the UAE are not known, but elsewhere clutches contain four to five eggs, and nests are placed in tree hollows, building crevices or holes in banks or cliffs (Jennings 2010). The dramatic territorial display of the male, which includes a series of almost vertical flights and dives, has not been observed in the UAE (Jennings 2010).

Is there a map available in assessment?

Yes

Assessed status

Asessment status in full

Critically Endangered

Assessment status abreviation

Assessment status criteria

A2ac; D

Assessment rationale/justification

The species has not been recorded breeding in the UAE since 2003 and there are suggestions that the breeding population may now be at very low numbers or even lost. The breeding population in the wider Arabian Peninsula is considered to be stable or in decline; thus the potential for immigration from outside the UAE may generally be low and decreasing further. Given the high likelihood that the breeding population in the UAE is now extinct, the species is listed as Critically Endangered (Regionally Possibly Extinct) at the national level.

About the assessment

Assessment year

2019

Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed

UAE National Red List Workshop

Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment

Government

IGO

Assessor affiliation specific

Government|IGO

Criteria system

Criteria system specifics

IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0

Criteria system used

IUCN

Criteria Citation

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.

Endemism

Endemic to region

Not assigned

Endemism Notes

Is an endemic?: Not_assigned

Conservation

Threats listed in assessment

The only known breeding site for this species within the UAE was in the process of being filled in with rubbish in 1996 (Aspinall 1996), and indeed the species potentially no longer breeds in the country (Pedersen et al. 2017). Land use changes could be a threat to this species, as could invasive species such as Mynas, which may be impacting the species by providing competition for nesting sites, while reductions in insect populations may mean a reduction in food availability. Individuals that are now reported in the country are non-breeding visitors, but they face threats from outside of the country that could have an impact on this visiting population.;Threats outside of the country include persecution on migration in some Mediterranean countries and hundreds, perhaps thousands, are shot for food in Oman every spring (del Hoyo et al. 2001).;The loss of suitable breeding habitat due to changing agricultural practices, conversion to monoculture, loss of nest sites, and agricultural intensification and the use of pesticides (reducing food availability) are considered to be the main threats to the species in Europe (E. Racinskis in litt. 2005,;Kovacs;et al.;2008), and the impact of these threats in the UAE requires research. The species is sensitive to loss of hedgerows and riparian forest in Europe, which provide essential habitats for perching and nesting.

Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information

History

There was a very small breeding population present in the country in 1996, which would have qualified the species for listing as Critically Endangered. Subsequent to this the population size has declined rapidly, possibly as a result of land use changes, infilling of the breeding site, and reductions in the availability of prey. Therefore, it is now listed as Critically Endangered (Regionally Possibly Extinct).