Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Hume, 1873)
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
Near Threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D1
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The resident population of this species falls in the band 1,000-5,000 mature individuals and thus approaches, but does not exceed the threshold for listing as Vulnerable. It is not known whether the regional population experiences any significant immigration of potentially reproducing individuals; thus the species is classified as Near Threatened.
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 is a fairly common resident in the UAE, mainly in the Dubai area and in the northern part of the country (Richardson 1990, Pedersen et al. 2017). The population is potentially supplemented by a small number of migrants and winter visitors (Jennings 2010).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs in in acacia savanna, in cultivated areas, date and ghaf groves and well-vegetated wadis, but also in suburban and rural areas like parks and large gardens (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It is well adapted to humans and even comes at night to artificially lit places to forage. In mainly feeds on beetles, moths and insects, but might also take reptiles, birds, bats and other small mammals (Jennings 2010). The species is monogamous; the breeding season lasts from December to June or July (Jennings 2010). In the UAE, it mostly nests in tree holes; elsewhere it also nests in palm tree holes, in crevices in buildings, wells, ruins and cliffs, or even in artificial nest boxes (Jennings 2010). Clutches likely contain up to four eggs (Jennings 2010). The species is a partial migrant with few individuals wintering in the UAE or passing through the country from Asian breeding sites, though not much it known about its migratory movements (Jennings 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The threats to this species are not well known (Holt et al. 1999), but loss of nest sites may be important at a local scale (Aspinall 1996).
History
It is assessed that in 1996, the national Red List status of this species would have been the same as in this assessment.
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
