The National Red List Project

Please note, this National Red List website contains a subset of data whilst we transition to national focal point driven data uploads. We thank you for your patience with this and welcome national contributors to get in touch to update their national dataset. Terms of Use including citation guidance are found here.

The previous dataset is available via: https://archive.nationalredlist.org/. This site is no longer updated but can help with most enquiries whilst we focus on redevelopment.

Sternula saundersi | 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
Sternula saundersi;was previously placed in the genus Sterna;(del Hoyo et al. 2014).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species is a breeding visitor along the east and west coasts of the UAE, as well as on islands in the Arabian Gulf (Jennings 2010, Pedersen et al. 2017). The population is temporarily supplemented by migrant individuals on passage to and from the breeding grounds (Pedersen et al. 2017). During winter, the species is scarcer or completely absent (Pedersen et al. 2017). This is the only tern that breeds on the mainland as well as on offshore islands.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs over shallow coastal water, often close to the mainland or coastal islands (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). In Arabia it was observed feeding on small fish (Jennings 2010); elsewhere it also takes crustaceans, molluscs and insects (del Hoyo et al. 1996). It nests on the mainland up to 1.5 km inland, mostly on beaches or open sites just above the high tide mark that allow an early detection of ground predators (Jennings 2010). While some pairs nest singly, the majority forms small loose colonies of up to 20 pairs, which are less conspicuous to predators than large ones (Jennings 2010). The breeding season lasts from late March to mid-June or July, with the majority of chicks hatching in May (Jennings 2010). The nest is flat or a slight hollow on bare sand, shingle or dried mud (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998, Jennings 2010). Clutches contain mostly two eggs, and only rarely one or three eggs (Jennings 2010). Outside of the breeding season, large flocks of up to 1,000 individuals gather on the Arabian Gulf (Jennings 2010). The movements of this species in winter are not well known, but individuals may disperse out to the northern Indian Ocean (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
A2bce+4bce; C1
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a very small breeding population in the UAE which is declining extremely rapidly. In the wider Arabian Peninsula, the species is fluctuating or in decline, and the degree of rescue effect is uncertain. Therefore, the species is precautionarily listed 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
The major threats to this species come from the loss of breeding sites due to coastal and island development, with at least one island site partially lost, predation by cats and rats primarily on islands, and foxes on the mainland, oil and other marine pollution, and disturbance (Aspinall 1996, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi 2016). Some of the islands with breeding colonies are inhabited, and human disturbance is a threat.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The population would have been larger in the past, Aspinall gives 500-1,000 pairs in 1994, with no suggestion of decline, and the species would have been VU (D1) in 1996. Significant declines have occurred;in recent years as a result of the loss of breeding sites due to coastal and island development, with at least one island site partially lost, predation by cats and rats primarily on islands, and foxes on the mainland, oil and other marine pollution, and disturbance. Some of the islands with breeding colonies are inhabited, and human disturbance is a threat.