Indonesia’s bird life plundered to supply Javan bird markets
Birds from other regions are affected too: this male Siberian Thrush is a migrant to Indonesia © Gabriel Jakarta, Indonesia, 11th August 2016 — A thriving trade in Indonesia’s native birds exists, well beyond the notorious bird markets of Jakarta, reports a new TRAFFIC study which turns the lens on eastern and central Java. Nearly 23,000 birds were recorded in five markets in Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Malang during a three-day survey, with clear indication that the vast majority were illegally taken from the wild. In the market for extinction: eastern and central Java (PDF, 13 MB) reports that 28 of the 241 species were fully protected under Indonesian law, which means all hunting and trade is prohibited. They included seven Black-winged Mynas Acridotheres melanopterus, a Critically Endangered species found only on Java and Bali, and a single Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush Garrulax rufifrons, an endangered species found only in Java.