Taxon name
Falco peregrinus
Tunstall, 1771
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Falco peregrinus
Tunstall, 1771
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
Tunstall, 1771
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Falco peregrinus (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously split as F. peregrinus and F. pelegrinoides 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
Assessed as
Critically Endangered
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has an extremely small breeding and non-breeding population in the UAE, with an unknown population trend. This qualifies it for listing as Critically Endangered. In the wider Arabian Peninsula, the subspecies referred to as 'Peregrine Falcon' is considered to be stable or increasing, while the much more common subspecies, 'Barbary Falcon', is in rapid decline, indicating that conditions outside of the UAE might be deteriorating for the species. Therefore, the species is retained as Critically Endangered at the national level.
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 uncommon in the UAE, and is a rare breeding resident (Pedersen et al. 2017). The majority of occurrences are of migrants on passage to and from the breeding grounds, as well as of individuals from northern Europe and Russia overwintering in the country (Richardson 1990, Pedersen et al. 2017). A considerable number of individuals may be escaped or released falconry birds (Richardson 1990, 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 is mainly found in forests, on mountains and on cliffs, but also on marshes and waste land (Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE, but elsewhere birds make up most of the diet, principally pigeons and doves (del Hoyo et al. 1994). The species is highly migratory, particularly populations breeding in the temperate and Arctic parts of its range, and birds passing though or wintering in the UAE likely breed in northern Europe and Russia (Richardson 1990). Migrating birds leave their breeding sites between August and November, and return between March and May (Snow and Perrins 1998). Migrants readily fly over expanses of sea and ocean. Most birds travel singly or in pairs, even on migration (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The species is trapped and used extensively in falconry, although the population-level impacts of this are uncertain (Aspinall 1996, White;et al.;2013). Most trapping within UAE would likely be with Saker Falcon as the target species, but because Peregrines (including Barbary Falcons) are more common, they are likely to be trapped more readily that Sakers (Aspinall 1996). While this is likely to be biased towards juvenile individuals being trapped, it could still pose a significant threat to adult birds if trapping occurs in areas with local breeding populations (Aspinall 1996).Outside of the UAE, persecution throughout its range was the major threat in the 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries (Snow and Perrins 1998). Severe global population declines in the 1960s-1970s were driven by eggshell breakage and mortality of adults and embryos from the hydrocarbon contamination associated with pesticides of that time (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, White;et al.;2013). Rock climbing activities pose a threat to the species's nest sites (Global Raptor Information Network 2015). It is highly vulnerable to the effects of potential wind energy development (STRIX 2012).
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
