• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
Until recently considered conspecific with P. insularis, but differs in its smaller size (mean male tail, n=5, 55 mm vs 60.55, n=18, in insularis (Kirwan 2008); at least 1); (in male) paler, shorter throat patch (2); whitish vs smudgily grey-black upper breast below throat patch (2); bold white wingstripe (white tips of median coverts) (2); narrower black eyeline (ns1); paler grey crown and upperparts with weaker black streaking (ns1); almost pure white vs pale grey underparts (ns1); and (in female) no trace of grey throat patch of female insularis (ns1). Monotypic.

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	D1

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2022	Vulnerable	D1
2016	Vulnerable	D1
2012	Vulnerable	D1
2010	Vulnerable	D1; D2
2008	Not Recognised
2004	Not Recognised
2000	Not Recognised
1994	Not Recognised
1988	Not Recognised

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	244 km2	medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	244 km2
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	250-999 mature individuals	medium	estimated	2009
Population trend	decreasing	poor	suspected	-
Generation length	3.2 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	2-50	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: The population has been estimated at fewer than 1,000 individuals (Ryan et al. 2009). The number of pairs is estimated to be c. 400, equivalent to c. 800 mature individuals (R. Porter in litt. 2016). To account for uncertainty, the population is placed here in the band of 250-999 mature individuals.

Trend justification: The population was previously suspected to be stable in the absence of any identified threats (R. Porter in litt. 2010). However, new information suggests that it may be experiencing declines after cyclones, and it is also subject to hunting for food which appears to be increasing (A. Saeed Suleiman in litt. 2020). Thus a decline is tentatively suspected (A. Saeed Suleiman in litt. 2016). Robustly establishing the current population size and current trend is a priority: evidence for a continuing decline would result in reassessment at a higher Red List category.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Yemen	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Yemen	Abd al-Kuri (Socotra)

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial	Urban Areas	suitable	resident
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)		suitable	resident
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	suitable	resident
Altitude	0 - 745 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather	Storms & flooding	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Species mortality

Purpose	Scale
Food - human	subsistence

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Abd al Kuri Sparrow Passer hemileucus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/abd-al-kuri-sparrow-passer-hemileucus on 23/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/12/2024.