Justification This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size may be moderately small to large, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Family/Sub-family Glareolidae

Species name author Fraser, 1843

Taxonomic source(s) Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

11,000 - 35,000

unset

3,440,000 km²

No

Ecology: Behaviour This species is an intra-African migrant, dispersing during the rainy season to Lake Chad, small rivers and coastal estuaries when rivers flood^{1, 2}. It breeds during the dry season in loose colonies, with nests a few metres apart¹ and is very gregarious when not breeding². It forages on the wing during the evening over water¹, grassland or woodland³. Habitat This species shows a preference for the sandbanks of large slow-flowing rivers^{1, 2} and lakes in both forested and open country², but also frequents reservoirs and coastal habitats (occasionally mangroves and estuaries²) in times of river flooding or high water¹. Diet The species is insectivorous, its diet consisting of flies, beetles, small grasshoppers and spiders¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow scrape in the sand of a sandbar or on shingle^{1, 2}, usually within 100 m of water².

Threats This species is threatened by habitat destruction through the building of dams (the creation of Lake Volta in Ghana removed much suitable habitat and caused an exodus of the species from the country)¹. The species is also subject to human disturbance¹.

References 1. del Hoyo et al. (1996). 2. Urban et al. (1986). 3. Hayman et al. (1986).

Text account compilers Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Jonathan Ekstrom (BirdLife International), Lucy Malpas (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Glareola cinerea. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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