Taxon name
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
(Hermann, 1804)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
(Hermann, 1804)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Hermann, 1804)
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
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D1
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The relatively small breeding population for this species meets the threshold for listing as Endangered under criterion D. However, the population is thought to be continuing to increase, and there is likely a rescue effect for this species. Therefore, after regional adjustment, the species is listed here as Vulnerable under criterion D1.
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
The majority of occurrences of this species within the UAE are of migrant individuals on passage to and from the breeding grounds, with highest numbers between February and May and between July and November (Pedersen et al. 2017). Since 1992, the species is regularly breeding in the UAE, and it has been suggested that a part of this population could be resident within the country (Jennings 2010, 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 breeds in thick beds of reed (Phragmites particularly P. australis) on damp soil near water (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It also prefers this habitat during migration, but additionally uses any thick vegetation, bushes or undergrowth (Jennings 2010). There is no information available on its diet in the UAE, but elsewhere it mainly feeds on insects and spiders, which are taken from reeds or nearby vegetation, and occasionally on vegetable matter (Jennings 2010). The breeding period lasts from February to July or even longer, suggesting that the species is double-brooded (Jennings 2010). No nest has been described in the UAE, but elsewhere it is a deep cup neatly woven from split reed blades, reed inflorescences, plant down and grass stems and lined with finer material. It is suspended from two to eight vertical reed stems, usually 15-“200 cm over shallow water. Outside Arabia, clutches can be three to five eggs, but are most commonly four.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Loss of wetland sites due to development is likely to be the main threat to this species (see Aspinall 1996), and potential turnover in certain artificial wetland habitats could impact the species's habitat.
History
This species has increased its population size since 1996 due to increasing availability of suitable irrigated 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 Endangered under criterion D then, whereas now (2019) it is assessed as Vulnerable.
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
