Researchers surveyed markets across Indonesia from 2011 to 2025, looking for\u00a0crested jayshrikes\u00a0(Platylophus galericulatus)<\/em>, a popular master bird. They discovered that they were sold openly at markets in Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali, Lombok and Sulawesi. Their findings were\u00a0published\u00a0recently in the journal\u00a0Integrative Conservation<\/em>.<\/p>\n An added driver of the demand for master birds is the energy these birds bring. There\u2019s a belief that masters pass on parts of their song but also impart confidence to songbirds. That conclusion is based on conversations with trappers, traders and competitors, says Simon Bruslund, director of global development at the Copenhagen Zoo, who was not involved in this study.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the energy transfer from the master bird to the recipient bird that\u2019s important,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n He adds that that popularity of masters is reliant on fashions and trends: Birds drop in and out of favor, partly based on the quality of their calls, as well as their energy. Now it appears the crested jayshrike is one of those in vogue.<\/p>\n There is a need for more research of this kind investigating the impact of trade on lesser-known bird species, says Chris Shepherd, a senior conservationists at the\u00a0Center for Conservation Biology\u00a0who wasn\u2019t involved in this study.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s even heard of this bird?\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s yet another part of the Asian songbird trade that\u2019s threatening a very long list of species, but one that\u2019s either unknown or has been overlooked.\u201d<\/p>\n In recent decades, unrelenting demand for songbirds has pushed multiple species in Southeast Asia to the brink of extinction. But the trade in master birds has received far less attention from researchers and conservationists, Nijman says.<\/p>\n He and his colleagues estimate that between 900 and 1,100 crested jayshrikes are sold at physical markets each year across Indonesia. This bird is listed as near threatened on the\u00a0IUCN Red List, though it was last assessed in 2019 and included no data on trade. But it\u2019s become clear, Neijman says, that this level of trade is impacting wild populations.<\/p>\n There are three subspecies of crested jayshrike, two of which are found in Indonesia: the Javan crested jayshrike and the brown crested jayshrike. They not only look quite different but have variations in their calls \u2014 and demand has shifted toward the brown subspecies because of its superior singing abilities.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first went into the forests in Java in the \u201890s, you could hear these crested jayshrikes in many places,\u201d Nijman says. \u201cBut now they\u2019re getting more and more rare.\u201d<\/p>\n Bruslund emphasized the seriousness of the situation. \u201cThe Javan crested jayshrike is one of those that we\u2019re really worried about, as it\u2019s found in the epicenter of where this trade occurs,\u201d he says. Past research has\u00a0highlighted trade\u00a0that\u2019s driving steep declines.<\/p>\n Master birds are used to \u201ctrain\u201d songbirds that compete in competitions. The brown crested jayshrike\u2019s piercing call is deemed superior to the black subspecies found in Java, making them more attractive in the master bird trade. Video courtesy of Vincent Nijman.<\/em><\/p>\n The crested jayshrike is by no means the only master bird at risk, but \u201cit\u2019s one of those species that we\u2019re seeing an emerging trend in,\u201d says Bruslund, adding that \u201cdemand for masters is taking a serious toll on numerous species.\u201d He has historical perspective, as he\u2019s researched the Asian songbird trade for nearly 15 years.<\/p>\n Other popular \u201csongbird teachers\u201d at risk include the\u00a0gray\u2010cheeked bulbul\u00a0(Alophoixus tephrogenys<\/em>), the melodious\u00a0brown-cheeked bulbul\u00a0(A. bres<\/em>). and two more that are in serious peril: the critically endangered\u00a0Javan green magpie\u00a0(Cissa thalassina<\/em>) and the endangered\u00a0rufous-fronted laughingthrush\u00a0(Garrulax rufifrons<\/em>).<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re afraid that the crested jayshrike is en route to going the same way,\u201d Bruslund says.<\/p>\n The master bird trade is not confined to Indonesia, with songbird competitors in Southeast Asia and Latin America following similar practices, though some regions use different \u201cteachers.\u201d For example, Bruslund notes, \u201cWe\u2019re seeing the master bird phenomena used in Latin America, but they tend to use a master which is an older bird of the same species.\u201d<\/p>\n The demand for master birds in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries is widespread, with established networks of trappers and traders bringing them to market, experts say. Unlike songbirds, there are no established captive breeding centers for these birds, so they are likely pulled from the wild.<\/p>\n Indonesian officials have taken notice. In 2018 \u2014 roughly midway through this market survey study \u2014 the government took action. \u201cThe Indonesian government realized that these master birds are being hammered by trade, and therefore they included them on the protected species list,\u201d Nijman says.<\/p>\n That offered the researchers a unique opportunity to understand if this government intervention had any effect on the trade in subsequent years.<\/p>\n They found that there was no significant decline in the master bird trade. His team still encountered birds sold openly in markets over roughly seven years after listing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe concluded that actually very, very little has changed,\u201d Nijman says. \u201cThey\u2019re still being traded.\u201d<\/p>\n There is a pressing need to rein in the trade, Nijman says. \u201cEffective enforcement of existing laws and shutting down the open trade in crested jayshrikes is needed urgently to prevent a secondary extinction.\u201d<\/p>\n In Bruslund\u2019s view, education and interventions targeted at trappers and consumers are also needed.<\/p>\n Economics are always a factor in conservation and offering alternative opportunities \u2014 like ecotourism that protects the birds rather than capturing them \u2014 are sorely needed. In discussions with trappers across Indonesia, the researchers found that often these birds aren\u2019t their primary source of income.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, local people seemed largely unaware of the impact on bird populations.<\/p>\n \u201cI think education is a way to go on reducing demand and availability,\u201d Bruslund says.<\/p>\n But when it comes to those who are directly involved in the trade, he agrees with Nijman: Stricter enforcement is crucial. \u201cWith the buyers and the transporters, we have nearly no luck,\u201d Bruslund says. \u201cIt\u2019s all about business. It\u2019s not about birds anymore. It\u2019s pure business.\u201d<\/p>\n Other countries also need to stop buying birds from those that can\u2019t regulate their trade, Shepherd adds. \u201cBut the bottom line is Indonesia, as the largest bird trading country in Southeast Asia, really needs to take action to shut down illegal markets and protect these lesser-known birds, like the crested jayshrike.\u201d<\/p>\n Nijman plans to conduct similar analysis on the gray\u2010cheeked bulbul and melodious bulbul to shed further light on the extent of the trade, which is clearly hitting wild populations. The rising popularity of songbird competitions bodes poorly for master birds swept up in their wake.<\/p>\n With songbird competitions becoming bigger and more fanciful, with prize money increasing, \u201cthat means the pressure on these master birds becomes larger as well,\u201d Nijman says. \u201cIt\u2019s like an extinction under the radar. It\u2019s almost collateral.\u201d<\/p>\n Nijman, V., A. Abdullah, A. Ardiansyah, et al. (2026). Risk of Secondary Extinction in the Asian Songbird Trade, as Exemplified by the Selling of Crested Jayshrikes as Master Birds.\u00a0Integrative Conservation<\/em>\u00a00: e70070. doi:10.1002\/inc3.70070<\/a>.<\/p>\n Eaton, J. A., Shepherd, C. R., Rheindt, F. E., C. Harris, J. B., Van Balen, B., Wilcove, D. S., & Collar, N. J. (2015). Trade-driven extinctions and near-extinctions of avian taxa in Sundaic Indonesia.\u00a0Forktail<\/em>. Retrieved from\u00a0https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/5c1a9e03f407b482a158da87\/t\/5c536998971a185e0e5689d5\/1548970393141\/Trade-driven-extinctions.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Songbirds](\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/03\/23125736\/4-Songbirds-and-master-birds.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Jayshrikes disappearing from the forest<\/h2>\n
Pushing masters to the brink<\/h2>\n
Enforcement is lacking<\/h2>\n
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