LC
Arabian Warbler Curruca leucomelaena



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
Previously placed in Sylvia (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) but moved to current genus following Cai et al. (2019). Races form two groups, “leucomelaena group” N & E of Red Sea and “blanfordi group” W & S of Red Sea, these differing primarily in size and in degree of sexual dimorphism, but barely at all in voice; both groups exhibit clinal variation in upperpart coloration (becoming darker and less grey N–S), and W group also in amount of white on tail (increasing N–S). Birds from Yemen described as distincta, but fall into range of individual variation of nominate. Four subspecies recognized.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2021. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
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 -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 2,810,000 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend decreasing - suspected -
Generation length 2.73 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be frequent in Africa (Urban et al. 1997). The population is suspected to be in decline owing to degradation of acacia groves (del Hoyo et al. 2006).

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to degradation of acacia groves (del Hoyo et al. 2006).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Djibouti extant native yes
Egypt extant native yes
Eritrea extant native yes
Israel extant native yes
Jordan extant native yes
Oman extant native yes
Saudi Arabia extant native yes
Somalia extant native yes
Sudan extant native yes
Yemen extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Israel Northern Arava valley
Jordan Aqaba coast and mountains
Jordan Dana
Jordan Wadi Araba
Oman Khawr Rouri
Oman Wadi Darbat
Saudi Arabia Al-Habrow al-Arabi
Saudi Arabia Hima al-Fiqrah
Saudi Arabia Jabal Fayfa
Saudi Arabia Wadi Jawwah
Saudi Arabia Wadi Turabah and Jabal Ibrahim
Yemen Desert west of Al-Ghayda
Yemen Hawf deciduous cloud forest
Yemen Jabal Bura
Yemen Ma'rib - Naqil Fardah - Baraqish
Yemen Mafraq al-Mukha
Yemen Ra's Fartak
Yemen Wadi Hajar
Yemen Wadi Jahr

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Savanna Dry major resident
Altitude 250 - 1900 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Arabian Warbler Curruca leucomelaena. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/arabian-warbler-curruca-leucomelaena 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.