Todiramphus chloris | UAE National Red List of Birds

Taxa
Todiramphus chloris | (Boddaert, 1783)
Publication
UAE National Red List of Birds
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Birds
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species occurs on the east coast of the UAE. It is present only in a small area of mangroves near Khor Kalba (Sharjah Emirate), where it was discovered in 1962 (Pedersen et al. 2017).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species exclusively inhabits mature forest of coastal mangrove (Black Mangrove Avicennia marina) and associated tidal creeks (Jennings 2010). It feeds on crabs and occasionally on small fish, which it takes by pouncing to the surface from a mangrove perch (Jennings 2010). Its breeding behaviour is not well studied. Pairs have been observed between February and June. Breeding likely takes place in early summer, but nestlings and fledglings have been recorded between January and July. Clutches contain three eggs (Jennings 2010). The species breeds in holes in old mangrove trees, about 1-3 m above high tide level. The nesting cavity has an entrance about 6-10 cm wide and reaches about 40-50 cm into the tree (Jennings 2010). The nest is horizontal and unlined (Jennings 2010).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Endangered
Assessment status abreviation
EN
Assessment status criteria
D
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a small resident population in the UAE, which qualifies it for listing as Endangered. The population is stable within the country. While it does occur in a tiny area, there is no strong evidence for declines, so it would not qualify for listing as threatened under criterion B, although it would be Vulnerable under criterion D2. As the population in the UAE is geographically isolated from any other breeding population, immigration from outside of the country is highly unlikely. Therefore, the species is retained as Endangered at the national level.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
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.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Aspinall (1996) lists a range of potential threats to this species in UAE. The species is potentially incidentally caught in fishing nets (Aspinall 1996). Threats to the species's environment are also important, with loss of its mangrove habitat due to disease, pollution and clearance (e.g. for land reclamation) being particularly threatening, as well as the species being impacted by other human activities, e.g. recreation leading to species disturbance and capture for trade (see Aspinall 1996).
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
While it is plausible that the quality of habitat in the species's tiny range may have been in decline in 1996, with the main threat being considered to be disturbance due to recreational fishing, the number of locations is thought to be >10 despite it only being found in a very small area. Therefore, it is assessed that in 1996, the national Red List status of this species would have been the same as in this assessment, qualifying as Near Threatened under criterion B, Vulnerable under criterion D2, and Endangered under criterion D at both time points.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Todiramphus chloris Animalia Chordata Aves Coraciiformes Alcedinidae Todiramphus