Taxon name
Phoenicurus ochruros
(Gmelin, 1774)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Phoenicurus ochruros
(Gmelin, 1774)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Gmelin, 1774)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Has hybridized with P. phoenicurus. Proposed subspecies aterrimus (Portugal, S & C Spain) merged with gibraltariensis. Subspecies phoenicuroides and rufiventris intergrade, with birds from W China (S Xinjiang) named as subspecies xerophilus probably intermediate between them; these taxa speculated to represent a separate species, but morphological differences not very strong and limited evidence suggests vocal homogeneity (Boesman 2016). Six subspecies recognized.
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
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a small non-breeding population size within the UAE that could warrant listing as Near Threatened under Criterion D1. There is no strong evidence to support any deterioration and it is likely that there is a rescue effect from outside the country. Therefore, a regional adjustment has been made and the species is listed here as Least Concern.
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 occurs in the UAE during passage and in winter, when it is common between late September and late April throughout the country (Pedersen et al. 2017). Individuals migrating through or wintering in the UAE breed from eastern Europe to south-central Asia.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species is found in sparsely vegetated rocky areas, including stony slopes, rocks, cliffs and hillsides with scattered trees, but also in open woodland, acacia scrub, shaded gardens and villages (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere, the diet consists of invertebrates and berries (Collar 2015). The species is migratory; it breeds from late April to July in eastern Europe and central Asia (Collar 2015).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
It is unlikely that the species faces any severe threats within the UAE, although overgrazing outside of Protected Areas potentially could have an impact. In Europe, it is thought large scale redevelopment and regeneration of city centre sites is causing the loss of suitable breeding habitat, as well as everyday disturbance to the species due to anthropogenic activities (see BirdLife International 2015, Wildlife Trust 2015). This could affect individuals that visit UAE, but it is highly uncertain.
History
This species has increased its population size since 1996 due to increasing availability of suitable habitat, and it is suspected that the population size (accounting for regional adjustments) may have been sufficiently small in 1996 that it would have warranted a listing as Near Threatened under criterion D1 then, whereas now (2019) it is assessed as Least Concern.
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
