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Hydroprogne caspia | 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
Taxonomic Notes
Hydroprogne caspia (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Sterna.
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). It is common during winter along the coast, but has been recorded during all months (Pedersen et al. 2017).It has bred at Khor al Udayd near the border with Qatar (Richardson 1990, Pedersen et al. 2017) and also breeds in small numbers (1-2 pairs) on islands off Sila and most of the western islands, Sir Bu Nair Island in Sharjah, all in small numbers. In total, there are no more than 20 nesting pairs in the UAE.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species is mainly coastal, occurring over shallow waters up to 100 m from the shore (Jennings 2010). It frequents open coasts, sheltered lagoons, inshore islands and occasionally inland wetlands (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It feeds on fish, which it captures by plunge-diving (Jennings 2010). Elsewhere, it also takes eggs and young of other birds, carrion, aquatic invertebrates, flying insects and earthworms (Flint;et al.;1984, Urban;et al.;1986, del Hoyo;et al.;1996, Shuford and Craig 2002). It is not a highly gregarious species outside of the breeding season, but may aggregate into flocks on passage, and during the winter it may feed in loose congregations;in rich fishing areas or at nightly roost sites (Urban;et al. 1986, del Hoyo;et al.;1996, Snow and Perrins 1998). The species nests either in colonies or as single pairs on flat islands with sparse vegetation, on sandy or shingle beaches, on sand dunes, flat rock surfaces or sheltered reefs (Flint;et al.;1984, Higgins and Davies 1996, del Hoyo;et al.;1996, Snow and Perrins 1998, Jennings 2010). The species is believed to double-brood in the Arabian Gulf; eggs have been recorded between April and July and between September and January (Jennings 2010). The nest is a shallow depression scraped in sandy ground (Jennings 2010). Clutches contain one egg, rarely two (Jennings 2010).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Critically Endangered
Assessment status abreviation
CR
Assessment status criteria
D
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a very small breeding and non-breeding population in the UAE, which qualifies it for listing as Critically Endangered and Endangered respectively. On a global scale, the species is increasing. Therefore, breeding populations outside of the country may have a large rescue effect. The population is stable within the country; however, wetland habitats within the UAE are likely to be deteriorating due to land conversion. Therefore, with the breeding population taking precedence, the species is precautionarily retained as Critically Endangered 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
Within the UAE, the species is threatened by oil pollution and marine debris (plastics). The population within the UAE is likely to be impacted by the global threats described below, however, the extent to which these threats impact individuals that visit the UAE is uncertain.Globally, human disturbance represents a significant threat to this species. Caspian Tern colonies are especially vulnerable to disturbance during the early courtship and incubation stages, during which human visitation results in the flushing of the whole colony, potentially leading to nest or colony abandonment (Cuthbert and Wires 1999 per Shuford and Craig 2002). The effect of disturbance during research activities has been well quantified, with activities such as ringing and cannon-netting representing a large proportion of the reproductive failure in colonies studied (Shuford and Craig 2002). Disturbance due to recreational activities are less well quantified but likely also significant (Shuford and Craig 2002). Much of the loss of reproductive success due to human disturbance occurs through gull predation of chicks during the few seconds of panic flight in which the eggs and chicks of a nest are left exposed (Shuford and Craig 2002). Historically, overexploitation within parts of its global range has resulted in large population declines through the collection of eggs and adults for food and feathers (Shuford and Craig 2002) - shooting of birds is still thought to occur, but on a much smaller scale than in the past;(Shuford and Craig 2002).
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
As the species was not a regular breeder in 1996, it would not have been assessed then. For an assessment of whether a genuine change has taken place or not, we therefore have used the non-breeding population, It is assessed that in 1996, the national Red List status of this species's non-breeding population would have been the same as in this assessment.