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NRLD - 330554 | Phalacrocorax nigrogularis

Assessment ID
330554
Taxon name
Phalacrocorax nigrogularis
Ogilvie-Grant & Forbes, 1899
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Phalacrocorax nigrogularis
Ogilvie-Grant & Forbes, 1899
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
chordata
Class
aves
Order
suliformes
Family
phalacrocoracidae
Genus
Phalacrocorax
Species
nigrogularis
Species authority
Ogilvie-Grant & Forbes, 1899
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)
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Vulnerable
Abbreviated status
VU
Qualifying criteria (if given)
B2ab(iii)
Criteria system used
IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a large breeding population in the UAE, with the largest breeding population, on Siniya Island (Umm Al Quwain), stable. The colonies in Abu Dhabi Emirate are potentially stable, although sub-populations are mobile between years, and the number of individual active colonies also seems to vary from year to year, with a past decline in the number of islands used, with Khan et al. (2018) reporting eight islands in Abu Dhabi Emirate.The species potentially occupies a very small area during the breeding season, and the area of occupancy (AOO) of breeding colonies may be as low as 36 km<sup>2</sup>), and it is precautionarily thought that each breeding island should be considered one location, inferred to be undergoing continuing declines in habitat quality and extent due to the potential for disturbance by people and disturbance and predation by animals, e.g. rats, foxes, dogs and cats. Therefore, the species is assessed here as Vulnerable under criterion B2ab(iii). Ongoing monitoring is essential for this species, and protection of active and potential nesting sites required.The non-breeding population appears to be in decline, potentially at a rate that would warrant listing as Vulnerable under criterion A; but the breeding population takes precedence hence the final listing as Vulnerable under criterion B2.
Assessment details
Year assessed
2019
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 almost entirely marine (Jennings 2010). In the UAE, it primarily breeds on offshore islands in Abu Dhabi Emirate (Khan et al. 2018) in the Arabian Gulf, where it is common between September and April (Pedersen et al. 2017), and the species also breeds on Siniya Island (Umm Al Quwain) in low numbers (A. Ali pers. comm. 2019). Records of nesting on Sir Abu Nu'ayr are not confirmed and it seems that only roosting occurs on the island, with no suitable areas for nesting (A. Al Ali pers. comm. 2019). It occasionally visits the east coast (Pedersen et al. 2017).Based on the currently known active nesting colonies (Pedersen;et al. 2017, Khan;et al. 2018, A. Ali pers. comm. 2019), the breeding AOO is restricted, very much less than 2,000 km<sup>2</sup>, and possibly as low as 36 km<sup>2</sup>,;depending on the area covered by individual colonies. The number of locations is hard to estimate, but given the vulnerability of this species to disturbance (human and animal; development), each nesting island is considered here as one location.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Terrestrial
Not_assigned
Freshwater
Not_assigned
Marine
Not_assigned
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species is almost entirely marine; it generally avoids coming to land and is even reluctant to fly over islands (Jennings 2010). Only for breeding, resting and roosting it comes to the shore, when it is found in coastal lagoons, on sandbanks, sea cliffs, on breakwaters, harbour walls and also buoys (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). This species is highly gregarious, occurring throughout the year in large aggregations (Johnsgard 1993, King 2004, Nelson et al. 2005). Foraging occurs offshore in large groups, and is thought to be communal rather than cooperative (Gallagher and Woodcock 1980, Nelson et al. 2005). Its diet consists principally of small pelagic shoaling fish, for which it dives from the surface to depths in excess of 18 m (King 2004).The species breeds in large, dense colonies on offshore islands with soft substrate like sand or loose gravel, in which a nesting depression is excavated (Jennings 2010). The timing of breeding varies between years and between colonies (Jennings 2010). Clutches usually contain two, rarely up to five eggs (Jennings 2010). The species may undergo some seasonal movements, when it travels in large flocks within the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Symens et al. 1993, Aspinall 1996). Movement patterns suggest a strong link with oceanographic variables and chlorophyll, which is linked to fish productivity and movements. Individuals from Siniya Island fitted with satellite transmitters exhibit dispersive migration, flying mostly along the Abu Dhabi coastline towards offshore islands in the area to over-summer, before moving towards the Musandam Peninsula and later descend along the northern UAE to Siniya Island in late August (Cook;et al. 2016).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Coastal development and disturbance on breeding islands is likely the greatest threat to the species, with detrimental effects in the past, present and future (BirdLife International 2010). Frequent human disturbance flushes parenting birds from nests, resulting in widespread egg and chick predation by gulls Larus spp. (Gallagher et al. 1984, Symens et al. 1993, Aspinall 1996). Total colony abandonment also occurs, and is not always followed by successful relocation elsewhere (Gallagher et al. 1984, Symens et al. 1993, Aspinall 1996). The extinction of 12 colonies since the 1960s is attributed to encroachment by development and prolonged human disturbance (H. King in litt. 2005). A current proposal to build a large multi-use project on Siniya Island (at present supporting a stable colony of c. 25,000 breeding pairs) including a bridge to the mainland, is likely to see the loss of this colony as a result of disturbance and subsequent access of terrestrial predators (S. Muzaffar in litt. 2016). Parent cormorants tend to respond to threats by departing from the nest rather than defensive aggression, leaving the chicks vulnerable to predation. In 2011, reports suggests that three Feral Cats Felis catus and three Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes were alone responsible for the death of c. 2,000 birds. The island has the capacity to sustain far larger predator populations, and there is potential for future increases in predation pressures. Simulated population models under these predation levels predict declines to near-extinction levels (a few hundred individuals) within 30 years (Muzaffar et al. 2013). As a ground-nesting species, Socotra Cormorant is vulnerable to the effects of storms, such as the flooding of nests during heavy rains, as took place on Suwad in November 1997. Similarly, in April 2003, an isolated thunderstorm with strong winds resulted in sudden termination of breeding and mass abandonment of chicks (H. King in litt. 2005). The species is highly vulnerable to marine oil spills (Gallagher et al. 1984, Symens and Suhaibani 1993). For instance, in August 1980 an oil spill of about 20,000 barrels off the coast of Bahrain killed up to 1,000 birds, most of which were Socotra Cormorants (Baha El Din 1991). Apart from direct mortality, effects include reduced immune function and reduced breeding success from oiling and ingestion, and depletion of prey fish stocks (Baha El Din 1991). As a piscivore, the species is susceptible to other marine pollutants such as heavy metals and PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) as well as neurotoxins (Baha El Din 1991). The species suffers minor effects from competition with fisheries, including non-targeted capture of prey species or their use as baitfish (Muzaffar et al. 2017b). The diet of chicks varied significantly between years, suggesting that the species is a generalist and feeds opportunistically on abundant fish species (Muzaffar et al. 2017b). Persecution, as well as chick and egg collection at remaining breeding sites, poses a threat of unknown severity (Aspinall 1996, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi 2016, Muzaffar et al. 2017a).
History
In 1996 it is assessed that the species bred on &gt;&gt;10 islands (Khan et al.;2018), but there has been a steady loss of sites occupied for breeding over the intervening years. This is as a result of threats such as development, anthropogenic disturbance, predation and disturbance by animals and egg collection. The species thus now qualifies for listing as Vulnerable, whereas in 1996 it would have been listed as Near Threatened.
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