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Passer hispaniolensis | 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 is scarce and uncommon in the UAE. It irregularly winters in the country between November and early March, when it can form in large flocks (Richardson 1990), or occurs there during passage to and from the breeding grounds (Aspinall and Porter 2011). It bred in Ras al-Khaimah (Al Hamraniyah) and Fujairah (Wamm Farms) at least between 1993 and 2008 (Pedersen et al. 2017). Since 2009, the species has been recorded in three localities in Abu Dhabi (Ruwais and Al Mirfa) and Fujairah (Wamm Farms); in 2012 it was recorded once in Fujairah (Wamm Farms), and in 2014 once in Abu Dhabi (Al Lulu Island) (Pedersen et al. 2017). However, breeding in the UAE has not been observed for potentially five years now.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
In general, this species is found mainly in moist, humid areas near water with trees and shrubs and is normally associated with cultivation, extending in villages, farmland, plantations, date groves or reed beds (Jennings 2010). During winter, it is highly gregarious, with flocks ranging far into the desert during foraging trips. It feeds on the ground, mostly on vegetable matter, especially seeds of grasses, crops and low herbs, but it also takes invertebrates throughout year (Jennings 2010, Summers-Smith 2015). Breeding occurs in colonies and is highly synchronised (Jennings 2010). The nest is a loosely woven, roughly spherical structure 15-“30 cm in diameter and made of grass and other plant stems, lined with finer grasses and feathers. It is preferably attached to branches of tall trees more than 15-20 m high, e.g. Ghaf (Prosopis cinearia), but also placed in lower bushes if trees are absent (Jennings 2010). There is no information on clutch size in the UAE, but elsewhere clutches of two to six eggs have been reported (Summers-Smith 2015).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Critically Endangered
Assessment status abreviation
CR
Assessment status criteria
A2a+4a; D
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has been estimated to have a breeding population of up to 100 pairs, but there have been no recorded breeding attempts for potentially five years now, and it is suspected that the species is no longer breeding in the country. More research is required to confirm its disappearance from the UAE as a breeding species though. Therefore, the species is listed here as Critically Endangered (Regionally Possibly Extinct) as a breeding species in UAE.
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 threats that have driven this decline are essentially unknown.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
In 1996 the population size was considered to be 10-100 pairs (Aspinall 1996), which would have meant that the species would have qualified as Critically Endangered under criterion D. The species has subsequently potentially disappeared from the UAE as a breeding species, although the reasons for this are essentially unknown.