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closeIUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | not a migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 26,600,000 | |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 26,800,000 | |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Stable | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 6.6 | - | - | - |
| Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| Angola | Native | No | |||
| Austria | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Bangladesh | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belgium | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Benin | Native | No | |||
| Botswana | Native | No | |||
| Brunei | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Bulgaria | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | Native | No | |||
| Burundi | Native | No | |||
| Cambodia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cameroon | Native | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Native | No | |||
| Central African Republic | Native | No | |||
| Chad | Native | No | |||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Congo | Native | No | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Native | No | |||
| Czech Republic | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Djibouti | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | Native | No | |||
| Eritrea | Native | No | |||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | |||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gabon | Native | No | |||
| Gambia | Native | No | |||
| Germany | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Ghana | Native | No | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Greece | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Guinea | Native | No | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | Native | No | |||
| Hong Kong (China) | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| India | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Indonesia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iraq | Native | No | |||
| Israel | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Italy | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Kenya | Native | No | |||
| Kuwait | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Laos | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Lebanon | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Lesotho | Native | No | |||
| Liberia | Native | No | |||
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Madagascar | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Malawi | Native | No | |||
| Malaysia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Mozambique | Native | No | |||
| Myanmar | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Namibia | Native | No | |||
| Nepal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Netherlands | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Niger | Native | No | |||
| Nigeria | Native | No | |||
| Oman | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Pakistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Papua New Guinea | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Philippines | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Poland | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Portugal | Native | No | |||
| Qatar | Vagrant | No | |||
| Romania | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Rwanda | Native | No | |||
| Saudi Arabia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Senegal | Native | No | |||
| Sierra Leone | Native | No | |||
| Singapore | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Somalia | Native | No | |||
| South Africa | Native | No | |||
| South Sudan | Native | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | |||
| Sri Lanka | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sudan | Native | No | |||
| Swaziland | Native | No | |||
| Switzerland | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Syria | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Tanzania | Native | No | |||
| Thailand | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Timor-Leste | Native | No | |||
| Togo | Native | No | |||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Uganda | Native | No | |||
| United Arab Emirates | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Uzbekistan | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Vietnam | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Yemen | Native | No | |||
| Zambia | Native | No | |||
| Zimbabwe | Native | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | Albufeira do Caia |  |
| Portugal | Arraiolos | |
| Portugal | Évora plains | |
| Portugal | Cabeção | |
| Portugal | Cabrela | |
| Portugal | Castro Verde plains | |
| Portugal | Monforte plains | |
| Portugal | Mourão, Moura e Barrancos | |
| Portugal | River Guadiana | |
| Portugal | Serra de Penha Garcia e Campina de Toulões | |
| Portugal | Tejo estuary | |
| Portugal | Upper River Tejo | |
| Portugal | Vila Fernando | |
| Spain | Lácara-Morante | |
| Spain | Monfragüe | |
| Spain | Olivenza-La Albuera | |
| Spain | Pela mountain range-Orellana reservoir-Zorita | |
| Spain | Tietar valley | |
| Spain | Trujillo-Torrecillas de la Tiesa | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest | suitable | resident |
| Desert | Hot | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude | suitable | resident |
| Savanna | Dry | suitable | resident |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 3000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Elanus caeruleus. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
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.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Accipitridae (Osprey, kites, hawks and eagles) |
| Species name author | (Desfontaines, 1789) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 26,600,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
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