Taxon name
Galerida cristata
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Galerida cristata
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Linnaeus, 1758)
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 very large resident population within the UAE, which is suspected to be potentially increasing. Therefore, it 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 is a very common, abundant resident occurring almost across the entire country (Pedersen et al. 2017). It has colonised Qarnayn, Abu al-Abyad and Das islands in the 1990s, as well as remote desert areas in the south and west of the UAE (Richardon 1990, 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 inhabits grassy or arid country and semi-desert, given that sufficient vegetation cover is present (Jennings 2010). It is particularly numerous near human settlements, on farmlands, gardens and cultivated areas, as well as along roadsides (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). The species generally becomes scarcer with increasing aridity and distance from human habitations (Jennings 2010). It feeds on the ground, occasionally digging into the surface with the bill (Jennings 2010). It feeds on invertebrates and plant material, such as seeds. Elsewhere, it also feeds on human food scraps, such as bread, fruits and plant shoots (Jennings 2010). The availability of drinking water is important for this species (Jennings 2010). The breeding behaviour is not well explored. In Arabia, the breeding period peaks between May and June, but nesting may already occur from January on (Jennings 2010). The species is monogamous and usually lays a clutch of one to five eggs. The nest is a depression on the ground with an untidy lining of grass or other vegetation (de Juana and Suárez 2004), which placed in the shade of a clump of grass or other plants (Jennings 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
In Europe the use of pesticides has negatively affected populations (Tucker and Heath 1994), but this may not be a significant threat to this species within UAE. Predation by cats,;Felis catus,;has been noted to cause local declines on the Arabian Peninsula (Symes et al. 2015). Overgrazing outside of Protected Areas could be be an additional threat within UAE.
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