Taxon name
Curruca mystacea
(Ménétries, 1832)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Curruca mystacea
(Ménétries, 1832)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Ménétries, 1832)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Previously placed in Sylvia;(del Hoyo and Collar 2016) but moved to current genus following Cai et al. (2019). Geographical variation at least partly clinal; nominate subspecies grades into turcmenica in N Iran, but evidence for intergradation otherwise scant or not conclusive. Three 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
Near Threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D1
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The small non-breeding population size of this species in the UAE means that the species triggers the threshold for Vulnerable under Criterion D1. However, with conditions not deemed to be deteriorating significantly, and there being a good likelihood for a rescue effect for this population, a regional adjustment has been made. The species is, therefore, listed as Near Threatened under Criterion D1 instead.
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 common in the UAE during migration to and from the breeding grounds. Numbers are highest between late September and May (Pedersen et al. 2017). Individuals migrating through or wintering in the UAE breed from Turkey to Kazakhstan.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species inhabits sparsely wooded areas and broken country, like woodland, areas of scattered trees, riparian forests, thorn scrubs and thickets, cuttings, parks and gardens (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it feeds mainly on small arthropods, especially insects and their larvae and eggs, but also takes various berries, fruits and seeds (Aymí and Gargallo 2015). The species is migratory; it breeds in south-western Eurasia and winters from north-east Africa to Arabia and southern Iran (Snow and Perrins 1998).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There are not thought to be any current significant threats to this species, however, overgrazing outside of Protected Areas may have an impact on this species.
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 Vulnerable under criterion D1 then, whereas now (2019) it is assessed 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
