Justification This species is listed as Near Threatened because it is suspected to have a moderately small range. If this was found to be in decline or smaller than suspected, the species may qualify for uplisting to a higher threat category.

Family/Sub-family Procellariidae

Species name author Jouanin, 1955

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Brooke (2004), Cramp and Simmons (1977-1994), Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

2,500-9,999

increasing

8,550,000 km²

No

Range & population Bulweria fallax is a poorly known species of the north-west Indian Ocean, occurring widely offshore in the Arabian Sea and Gulfs of Aden and Oman, where it is often the commonest pelagic seabird³, although there are no numerical estimates of total population size or trend. During the summer monsoon (May-September) it congregates off the Socotra archipelago (Yemen), where a breeding colony of at least c.50 pairs was recently discovered⁵ and where c.3,000 pairs are now estimated to nest locally on mainland cliffs⁶, and also off the Halaaniyaat islands (southern Oman), where it may nest (or on the Arabian mainland adjacent)². Similar sea-cliffs within its range on the coast of Somalia deserve investigation for breeding colonies⁷.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It frequents open sea all-year-round, only approaching land during the breeding season, at dusk and after dark^5,7. Its foraging areas are poorly known, but presumably related to highly productive areas of oceanic upwelling⁷. It flies low, taking food from the surface of sea, probably mainly plankton e.g. fish eggs, ctenophores and polychaete worms⁷.

Threats Seabirds, including B. fallax¹, were formerly exploited for food and medicinal use (at a subsistence level¹) on the Halaaniyaat islands² and Socotra^1,4, but this practice apparently no longer occurs due to the availability of cheap poultry and the danger of climbing the cliffs⁵. Non-native predators (e.g. rats and cats) are probably a limiting factor¹, although their impact on the Socotran subpopulation may have stabilised long ago, given that Socotra has been inhabited for at least 2,000 years and these mammals are likely to have been present since antiquity. Marine oil-spills are a serious potential threat.

Conservation measures underway Unknown.

Conservation measures proposed Devise methods for the estimation of the population size. Design and implement regular surveys for population monitoring. Search for other breeding colonies on the coast of Somalia, as and when this is feasible. Enforce measures to prevent and mitigate oil spills. Investigate the impact of introduced predators.

References 1. Al-Saghier et al. (2000). 2. Gallagher (1985). 3. Porter et al. (1996). 4. Porter et al. (in prep.). 5. Taleb (2002). 6. Al Saghier et al. (unpublished). 7. PERSGA/GEF (2003).

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Bulweria fallax. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

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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