Taxon name
Calandrella brachydactyla
(Leisler, 1814)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Calandrella brachydactyla
(Leisler, 1814)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Birds
Species authority
(Leisler, 1814)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Calandrella brachydactyla and C. dukhunensis (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) were previously lumped into C. brachydactyla following AERC TAC (2003), Cramp et al. (1977-“1994), Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), and Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).Closely related to C. cinerea, with which often previously merged, and to C. blanfordi, C. eremica and C. acutirostris; until recently considered conspecific with C. dukhunensis (see related note). Geographical variation slight and clinalà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬becoming paler and greyer to E, more rufous and streaked above to Wà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬but greatly complicated by strong influence of wear, considerable individual variation and lack of natural boundaries; described ranges of listed taxa somewhat arbitrary. We follow Donald and Alström (in prep) in treating Greater Short-toed Lark as monotypic, finding no support for the usually accepted subspecies woltersi, hungarica, hermonensis, rubiginosa, artemisiana and longipennis. Note that the breeding range does not extend so far east into Mongolia as previously thought, indeed it is unclear whether it occurs in Mongolia at all. The species is monotypic.
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 a small non-breeding population that would warrant a listing as Endangered under criterion D. However, the species is thought to have previously bred in the UAE, and the breeding status takes precedence here. Any remaining breeding population is still thought to be tiny, and there have been recent reports of individuals in suitable habitat in the breeding season. Therefore, the species is listed here as Critically Endangered under criterion D.
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 in the UAE are of migrating individuals on passage to and from the breeding sites. The abundance is highest in early April and in mid-August to November (Pedersen et al. 2017). It occasionally winters in the country, but numbers vary (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010). It was thought to be likely that at least 5-20 pairs regularly breed in the country (Jennings 2010, Pedersen et al. 2017), but it is now believed that the species may no longer breed regularly in the UAE (R. Sheldon;in litt.;2019). Any remaining breeding population is still thought to be tiny, but there have been recent reports of individuals in suitable habitat in the breeding season.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
During migration and winter, it is found in semi-desert plains (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). During the breeding season, it favours lush vegetation, like cultivated and irrigated zones which experienced above average rainfall during the previous winter (Jennings 2010). During migration, it can form flocks of up to 5,000 individuals, which cross the country in April and August-November (Jennings 2010, Pedersen et al. 2017). It feeds on the ground and in low vegetation. There is no information available on its diet in the UAE, but elsewhere it feeds mainly on invertebrates, supplementing them with seeds and the green parts of plants (Jennings 2010). Little is known about its breeding biology in the UAE and Arabian Peninsula. The breeding period may last from March to June (Jennings 2010). Elsewhere, the nest is built by the female, of grasses, rootlets and similar vegetation, lined with softer material and placed in a shallow scrape on the ground, usually beside a shrub or grass tuft. It often has a small rampart of sticks or stones. Clutch size is about three eggs in Arabia (Jennings 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Within the UAE, predation by cats,;Felis catus,;has been noted to cause local declines on the Arabian Peninsula for Crested Lark (Symes;et al.;2015), and this is another possible threat to this species. Overgrazing outside of Protected Areas could also pose a threat. As a migratory species, individuals that over-winter in UAE but breed elsewhere may be subject to threats outside of the country too - although the scope and severity of impact on the UAE population is essentially unknown. From BirdLife International (2015), in Europe the main threats to the species are from agricultural intensification (leading to loss of fallows, increased number of irrigation schemes, increase in surface area covered by crops, etc.), afforestation of wastelands (de Juana;et al. 2012), and residential expansion (Tucker and Heath 1994).
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
