Sharjah breeds rare Arabian collared kingfisher in captivity for first time


Salam Al Amir
  • English
  • Arabic

The number of a rare bird that lives in a protected part of Sharjah has increased from 125 to 131.

Known as the Arabian collared kingfisher, the bird inhabits the Alqurm area of Kalba on the east coast.

Kingfishers are found in many regions. But the subspecies kalbaensis is found only in Kalba and a handful of sites in Oman.

The increase was noted in a survey that took place during the kingfisher breeding season.

During the season, which runs from April to August, the birds are more territorial and easy to spot.

It was carried out by Sharjah’s Environment and Protected Areas Authority with the help of volunteers.

The EPAA also bred three birds in captivity for the first time from eggs collected during this year’s breeding season. The birds hatched in incubators at the Kalba Bird of Prey Centre.

“The chicks of the Arabian collared kingfisher are being cared for by a dedicated team at Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre,” said Hana Al Suwaidi, chairwoman of the EPAA.

The population of the bird is stable but it faces huge threats due to a very limited habitat range. Pollution and development are eroding habitats around the globe.

Alqurm Protected Area in Khor Kalba is believed to host some of oldest mangroves on the Arabian Peninsula. It is an important breeding area for sea turtles, fish and crabs, while the site serves as an important food source for many birds including Arabian collared kingfishers.

Alqurm is also one of the UAE’s 10 “wetlands of international importance”. They are also known as Ramsar sites, after the Iranian city in which the convention on international standards was agreed in 1971. It came into force in the UAE in 2007.

The ability of wetlands to act as giant sponges means they can absorb heavy rain and prevent flooding. As with Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve – another of the 10 sites – they can also be a tourist attraction.

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Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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French business

France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

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Remaining Fixtures

Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final

While you're here
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud

Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:

1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.

2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.

3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.

4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.

5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.

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All times UAE:

Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, 4pm

Manchester City v Arsenal, 6.15pm

Everton v Watford, 8.30pm

Chelsea v Manchester United, 8.30pm

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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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