The white-rumped shama isn’t the only Malaysian songbird species that is facing an existential threat due to high demand and low levels of effective enforcement of the illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia. The following are some of the more popular songbirds that are trapped in Malaysia for the songbird trade.
The most popular of all the songbird species currently looks to be the white-rumped shama, the Kittacincla malabarica, known by its old taxonomic name, Copsychus malabaricus.
For more on this highly sought-after songbird, and the threat Malaysian songbirds are facing from poachers, read our main story: Poachers are trapping Malaysian songbirds to sell in Indonesia.
Known locally as either the barau-barau or burung baram, this is another very popular songbird that’s prized for its clear melody, and it has all but vanished from the wild in Malaysia, with most smuggled to Indonesia for sale, says Monitor executive director and vice- chair of the IUCN SSC Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group Dr Chris Shepherd. (In full, the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission.)
It has also come under pressure in the last few years from habitat loss in Malaysia. The IUCN classifies it as critically endangered. Once found as far as southern Myanmar and throughout Malaysia and Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, it is presumed to now only exist in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo today.
A 2017 report in the Bird Conservation International journal titled The Final Straw? surveyed bird markets in North and West Kalimantan and Central, West and East Java between July 2014 and June 2015 and found only 71 of the birds in 11 markets in eight cities. At the same time, its price has increased to over 20 times that recorded in 1987, indicating that the numbers in the wild are declining.
In 2018, Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Ministry reportedly removed the white-rumped shama and the straw-headed bulbul from its list of protected species following protests from songbird enthusiasts.
“If action is not taken immediately, Malaysia’s white-rumped shamas will follow the straw-headed bulbul towards extinction, ” warns Shepherd.
Urging for more places in Malaysia to be designated as protected areas for birds, he says there are currently very few havens for these animals. At the moment, bird trappers can even trap certain species of birds in public parks in Malaysia.
“There needs to be more places in Malaysia where birds of any species cannot be trapped or hunted, ” he says, calling on Malaysians to report incidents of poaching and trafficking to the Wildlife Crime Hotline at 019-356 4194.
Found in parts of South-East Asia and the Indian subcontinent, this distinctive black and white bird with a long tail is a common visitor to many urban gardens in Malaysia.
Considered to be a species of the “least concern” under the IUCN, the bird was once widely kept as cage birds in India for their singing and fighting abilities.
Today, they continue to be sold for the pet trade in South-East Asia.
It is currently classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN. Another popular related species often entered into songbird competitions is the spotted dove, known as burung tekukur.
Another favourite of songbird enthusiasts, especially those in Malaysia, this bird is known for its loud three- or four-note call. Common in hill forests and urban gardens, it feeds on fruits and small insects.
This species is classified as of least concern under the IUCN.
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