Taxon name
Ixobrychus minutus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Ixobrychus minutus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Ixobrychus minutus;and;I. dubius;(del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as;I. minutus;following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
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)
D
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species may have a very small breeding population in the UAE, which might qualify it for listing as Critically Endangered. However, as the breeding population of the Arabian Peninsula seems to be increasing, there is high potential for immigration. Therefore, the species's status has undergone an adjustment down one category and is listed as Endangered at the national level. The species may be in the process of expanding its breeding range in the UAE.
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 likely to be of migrant individuals on passage to and from the breeding grounds. Numbers are highest between March and June and between August and November, when the species is uncommon to fairly common at freshwater sites throughout the country, but it has occasionally been recorded during other months (Pedersen et al. 2017). The first record of breeding was in 1995 in Ruwais (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 well-vegetated rivers, brackish and freshwater ponds and lakes, reed beds and irrigation ditches (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It often perches in trees or bushes (Jennnings 2010). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it is mainly insectivorous and takes insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars and beetles (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Kushlan and Hancock 2005). Other food items include spiders, molluscs, crustaceans, fish, frogs, tadpoles, small reptiles and birds (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Kushlan and Hancock 2005). It it is mainly a crepuscular feeder (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Kushlan and Hancock 2005). The migratory population breeds between May and July in Europe and Asia (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Jennings 2010). The species's breeding behaviour in the UAE is unknown, but elsewhere in Arabia it breeds between April and June in reed beds and possibly mangroves (Jennings 2010). Only one nest has been described in Arabia, which was made of dry stems lined with leaves and placed in reeds about 25 cm above the water level. It is suspected that clutches contain five eggs (Jennings 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Changes in wetland land-use could affect this species in UAE, but the severity of such a threats towards this species is unknown.The species also faces a range of threats globally, which could impact individuals that visit the country. Since 1970, European populations have fallen, most likely due to habitat destruction and pollution, however these alone do not explain its overall European decline. Recreational activities such as fishing and swimming are also a threat as is the intensive commercial use of water areas (e.g. reed cutting, fish farming), river regulation measures and eutrophication (Bauer et al. 2006).
History
The first breeding was confirmed in 1995 (Aspinall 1996). The species is assessed as CR in 1996 without any regional revision.
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
