Taxon name
Coracias garrulus
Linnaeus, 1758
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Coracias garrulus
Linnaeus, 1758
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
Linnaeus, 1758
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
Critically Endangered
Qualifying criteria (if given)
A2ac; D
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
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.
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
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).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
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).
Threats and conservation measures listed
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.
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).
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
