Market Surveys

We surveyed markets in West, Central, East, South, and North Kalimantan. Because we had better access to markets and shop owners in West Kalimantan, we conducted the most intensive surveys there. We surveyed three times in West Kalimantan (23 July–18 December of 2015, 24 February–7 April 2016, and 11 June–4 August 2016) and collected data at 86, 118, and 112 shops, respectively. Each survey consisted of four subsurvey locations:

Teams opportunistically followed major roads, visiting markets as they found them across each of the four subsurvey locations. Our personnel rotated throughout the project, and our training regimen was not standard.

In Central, South, East, and North Kalimantan, we surveyed markets in the capital city of each province from August 2016 to February 2017 (Figure 1). In addition, we surveyed markets in Samarinda, East Kalimantan based on local information that it was also a major center for the bird trade. Each month we surveyed a new area, and we surveyed each market outside of West Kalimantan only once. At all markets, teams identified each bird down to species if possible and recorded its price and place of origin according to the shopkeeper, then recorded the number of individuals of each species for sale (hereafter volume). We used a general question of the following form: “Pak, boleh tanya, burung ini berasal dari mana pak?” (translation: “Sir, if it’s okay to ask, what is this bird’s place of origin?”). We surveyed a total of 227 shops across the five Kalimantan provinces between July 2015 and March 2017 (Table 1).

Figure 1.

Bird shop locations surveyed across Kalimantan, Indonesia.

For individuals identified as Asian Pied Starling Graupica sp., Blue Flycatcher sp., Bulbul sp., Tailorbird sp. Orthotomus sp., Collared Dove sp. Streptopelia sp., Dove sp., Drongo sp. Dicrurus sp., Finch sp., Flowerpecker sp., Green Pigeon sp. Treron sp., Hill Myna sp. Gracula sp., Fantail sp. Rhipidura sp., Lovebird Agapornis sp., Orange-headed Bulbul (no bulbul of this name exists), Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus, Prinia sp. Prinia sp., Quail sp., Rosella parrot sp. Platycercus sp., Rufous-headed Babbler (no babbler of this name exists), Sunbird sp., Turtle-dove sp., and Yuhina sp. Yuhina sp., we could not identify them to species. Teams were not specifically trained to identify White-eye Zosterops to species, and given how difficult White-eyes are to identify in groups in cages, we cannot address this species complex at this time. We included individuals that we could not identify to species in the total sum of birds seen, but not in the total of species observed.

We assumed that all individuals of Domestic Canary Serinus canaria, Lovebird Agapornis sp., Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus, Domestic Pigeon Columba livia, Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis, and Domestic Chicken Gallus gallus are exclusively captive-bred because they are not found in the wild in Indonesia but are commonly and easily bred in Kalimantan. We also assumed that all individuals of Zebra Dove Geopelia striata are captive-bred because they are widely bred across Indonesia and are probably introduced in Borneo. In the case of birds identified as Quail sp., we also assumed that they were captive-bred because Blue-breasted Quail Synoicus chinensis is bred widely across Indonesia for eggs and pet food.

For the remaining birds, we were unable to establish whether individuals were captive-bred because traders may report wild-caught birds as captive-bred. However, the vast majority may have been caught in the wild. Only five captive breeding permits have ever been issued in West Kalimantan (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam West Kalimantan, personal communication, 2017). Furthermore, breeding operations encountered by Yayasan Planet Indonesia (YPI) did not have active breeding programs and instead were trapping birds in the wild and selling them as captive-bred individuals.

We tested for a correlation between price and volume per species—H₀: slope (m) of linear model fit to data = 0; H_A: $m\ne 0$. To do so, we fit a first-order linear equation to the data. In addition, we used a Pearson’s χ² test to test for a difference between the frequency of species in each IUCN threat category (Least Concern, Near Threatened, Threatened, Endangered, Critically Endangered, and Data Deficient) encountered in markets and the frequency of species in each IUCN threat category encountered in Kalimantan.

Workshop Questionnaire

To address the lack of historical information on songbirds sold in markets in Kalimantan, we used a qualitative survey given to trappers, traders, and sellers to assess temporal changes in price and volume of species, with the intention of using this information to infer wild population trends as demonstrated by Harris et al. (2015). Planet Indonesia hosted a workshop in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on 11 and 12 February 2017 for people who trap wild birds to sell in the bird trade, even if they trap only occasionally (trappers) and people who make money from buying and selling birds within the bird trade, usually without trapping directly from the wild (traders) from the region. Thirty-two of the attendees filled out a questionnaire, the full text of which may be found in Supplementary Material. Because most participants did not openly declare their role in the bird trade, we cannot report the frequency of trappers versus traders. Most respondents did not answer all questions. One explanation is that respondents only answered each question if they were confident about their answer. For this report, we consider only species that were listed three or more times as answers to the following four questions:

Harris et al. (2015) showed that the relationship between changes in price and volume may distinguish stable and declining wild populations. In particular, species showing increasing volume and decreasing price are exceeding demand and thus are probably stable, species showing increasing volume and increasing price are also still able to meet demand but may be in decline, and species showing decreasing volume and increasing price may be experiencing a severe decline in the wild. We intended to assess historical increases and decreases in volume using Questions (1) and (2), with the caveat that intrinsic ubiquity or rarity could also cause a species to exceed or fall short of current demand.

We also tested for a correlation between the number of mentions a species received in answer to each of the Questions (1) and (3)—H₀: slope (m) of linear model fit to data = 0; H_A: $m\ne 0$. The other questions did not receive enough answers to effectively analyze.

Market Surveys

We recorded 25,298 individuals from 151 identified species across all surveys, including the three rounds in West Kalimantan (Table 1). Individuals of the five groups of birds assumed to be captive-bred comprise a significant portion of the total number of birds observed (25.9%; 6,554 individuals). We could not identify to species 6,058 individuals or 23.9%. However, the largest group of unidentified birds were White-eye Zosterops sp. (4,519 individuals).

The following were the five non–captive-bred groups with the most individuals in markets: White-eye (4,519 individuals), Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis (2,708 individuals), White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus (1,665 individuals), Javan Myna Acridotheres javanicus (1,432 individuals), and Greater Green Leafbird Chloropsis sonnerati (1,184 individuals).

The following were the five non–captive-bred species with the most expensive average price in Kalimantan: Bali Starling Leucopsar rothschildi (US$888.56), Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus (US$428.45), Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides (US$296.19), Rufous-tailed Shama Copsychus pyrropygus (US$240.65), and Olive-winged Bulbul Pycnonotus plumosus (US$222.14).

For the eight groups assumed to be captive-bred, we detected 2,311 Domestic Canary (average price US$20.36), 937 Lovebird (US$44.03), 903 Budgerigar (US$12.04), 896 Domestic Pigeon (US$7.03), 172 Quail sp. (US$3.17), 844 Spotted Dove (US$4.10), 489 Zebra Dove (US$6.94), and 2 Domestic Chicken (US$3.70).

We did not find a significant correlation between the average price per species and the number of individuals detected per species (first-order linear model; estimate $\pm \mathit{SE}=-0.007989\pm 0.013278$; p = .548).

Of the species identified, 11 (7.1%) are listed as threatened (Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered), and 20 (12.9%) are listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List (IUCN, 2017). Fourteen species (9.0%) are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II, and two are listed (1.3%) in CITES Appendix I. Both appendices restrict international trade only. Eleven species (7.1%) are protected from hunting and trade by Indonesian law under the Conservation Act (No.5), 1990 and Government Regulation No.7, 1999.

We did not find a significant difference between the proportion of species in each IUCN threat category in our market surveys and the proportion of species in each IUCN threat category across Kalimantan (Pearson’s χ²; χ² = 10.347; df = 5; p = .06598; Table 3). We also did not find a significant difference between the proportion of species in each IUCN threat category in our market surveys and the proportion of species in each IUCN threat category across Indonesia (Pearson’s χ²; χ² = 4.3119; df = 5; p = .5043; Table 3).

Table 3.

Proportion (%) of species encountered in the market, across Kalimantan, and across Indonesia that are listed as Least Concern (LC), Near Threatened (NT), Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), Critically Endangered (CR), and Data Deficient (DD).

According to shopkeepers, approximately 87% of the birds in West Kalimantan markets originate in West Kalimantan, 12% on the island of Java, and the remaining 1% in a variety of locations such as Australia, Malaysia, Sumatra, and South and Central Kalimantan. Within West Kalimantan, the largest proportion of birds came from Pontianak (31%) and then Kubu Raya (16%). And 6% to 8% came from each of the regencies of Sanggau, Kapaus Hulu, Bengkayang, Singkawang, Sambas, and Ketapang. Finally, Sintang, Landak, North Kayong, Melawi, and Sekadau each accounted for 5% or less of bird origins. See Figure 2 for more detail.

Figure 2.

Regency origin of birds sold in West Kalimantan.

When summarizing shopkeeper responses across Kalimantan, we categorized each response as one of the following eight categories: West, East, North, Central, or South Kalimantan, Java, other Indonesian islands, and other countries. A majority of recorded birds were captured in the same province as the bird market: 87% of birds in West Kalimantan, 78% in Central Kalimantan, 99% in South Kalimantan, 79% in East Kalimantan, and 53% in North Kalimantan. The remainder of birds primarily originated from Java: 12% in West Kalimantan, 20% in Central Kalimantan, 0% in South Kalimantan (but 99% of birds sold in South Kalimantan originated in South Kalimantan), 20% in East Kalimantan, and 41% in North Kalimantan. Of the birds reportedly originating in Java, the five most common (78.5% of the birds from Java) were Domestic Canary, Javan Myna, Lovebird, Budgerigar, and Zebra Dove. Four of these five species are exclusively bred in captivity, and Javan Myna is often bred in captivity as well, though we have no way to ascertain the source of these birds. Only North Kalimantan sourced at least 1% of its individuals from Indonesian islands other than Java, and no provinces sourced at least 1% of individuals from outside of Indonesia.

Regencies that were the source of a higher percentage of West Kalimantan’s birds for sale (Kubu Raya, Sanggau, Kapaus Hulu, Bengkayang, Singkawang, Sambas, and Ketapang; see Figure 2) also contain protected areas. For example, Singkawang and Sanggau border Gunung Nyiut Nature Preserve, Kapuas Hulu contains Danau Sentarum National Park and Betung Kerihun National Park, and Ketapang contains Gunung Palung National Park.

Only 0.4% of birds were reportedly from another Indonesian island or country. The islands mentioned were Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua, Nusa Tenggara Timur, and Bali. The countries mentioned were Australia, Malaysia, China, East Timor, and the continents of Africa and Europe. We compared the reported origin of each species with its range map. Shopkeepers attributed birds to their native ranges except on two occasions: One claimed an Olive-winged Bulbul (native to Indonesia) originated from Africa, and another claimed a Blue-and-yellow Macaw Ara ararauna (native to South America) originated from Sulawesi. In the instance of the Olive-winged Bulbul, the shopkeeper priced the bird at US$222.14, making it the fifth most expensive bird in all the Kalimantan markets surveyed.

We found rare species and species not native to Kalimantan available in Kalimantan markets, and in particular, in East Kalimantan markets, where we spotted Bali Starling, Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea, Black-capped Lory Lorius lory, and Helmeted Friarbird. In addition, eight of the 10 most expensive birds in Kalimantan were offered for sale in East Kalimantan markets. Species imported into Kalimantan were among the most expensive, for example, Helmeted Friarbird (Lesser Sundas, Papua, and northeast Australia; third most expensive); Rosella (Australia; seventh most expensive); Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Timur; ninth most expensive); Black-capped Lory (Papua; 11th most expensive); and Yellow-rumped Seedeater Crithagra xanthopygia (Ethiopia and Eritrea; 13th most expensive).

Across Kalimantan, shopkeepers allowed our team to conduct interviews, take pictures, videos, and data from their shops without fear.

Workshop Questionnaire

Seventeen distinct groups of birds (species and larger taxa) were mentioned as most sold or trapped, 13 as hardest to find, 20 as increased in value, and 19 as decreased in value; 70.6%, 76.9%, 60.0%, and 63.2% of the respective groups were mentioned less than three times and therefore are not included in the following summary and analysis.

Four species (Oriental Magpie-robin, White-rumped Shama, Greater Green Leafbird, and Oriental White-eye) were listed more than three times as both increasing in price and most sold or trapped (Table 2). Hornbills, Straw-headed Bulbul, and Eagle sp. were reported nine, six, and three times, respectively, as the most difficult to find. Canary, Lovebird, White-rumped Shama, Shrike Lanius sp., Grey-cheeked Bulbul, Spotted Dove, and Blue-crowned Hanging parrot were mentioned seven, seven, four, four, four, three, and three times, respectively, as decreasing in price. Oddly, White-rumped Shama was mentioned 12 times as increasing in price and four times as decreasing in price.

Table 1.

The number of shops, number of individual birds seen, and the number of species detected across Kalimantan and per province across all market surveys conducted by Yayasan Planet Indonesia from July 2015 to February 2017.

Table 2.

Species mentioned as most expensive ($) or sold or trapped (#) or both by at least three respondents to the workshop survey administered by Yayasan Planet Indonesia in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on 11 and 12 February 2017.

We did not find a significant correlation between the number of times a species was mentioned as most increased in price and the number of times a species was mentioned as most sold or trapped (first–order linear model; estimate $\pm \mathit{SE}=0.4932\pm 0.2088$; p = .0502).

Although we did not specifically collect data about whether the workshop participants were aware of the illegality of much of the pet bird trade, we would like to note that nearly all individuals involved in our workshop stated local government or enforcement agencies had never approached or contacted them about their businesses. They repeatedly exclaimed they were not aware of any legislation or laws related to the bird trade. In addition, they stated that many customers now buy high-value birds from Malaysia. Anonymous traders and our survey team report that this cross-border trade is increasing. In the Entikong area of West Kalimantan, Planet Indonesia’s team spoke with traders who claimed to bring as many as 6,000 individuals of Greater Green Leafbird, Oriental Magpie Robin, and White-rumped Shama every month from Malaysia to Indonesia (unpublished data).

Species of Concern

Our market data further verify the ASCS’s recommendation for immediate action to conserve species threatened by the Indonesian caged bird trade. Straw-headed Bulbul in particular appears to be diminishing quickly in the wild. We echo other calls, specifically Bergin et al. (2017), for IUCN to up–list Straw-headed Bulbul to Critically Endangered, CITES to up–list it to Appendix I, and for Indonesia to update the Conservation Act (No. 5) of 1990 to include it and other species of concern. Our market surveys and workshop questionnaire also emphasize the threat to Oriental Magpie Robin, White-rumped Shama, Oriental White-eye, and Greater Green Leafbird. These species were reported to be increasing in value and are sold in extremely high numbers across all provinces. We suspect they may be declining in the wild. However, wild population surveys are needed to verify these suspicions.

Recommendations

This survey represents just a snapshot of the Indonesian caged bird trade in Kalimantan, and therefore, conclusions and recommendations from our data are limited. Kalimantan markets must be examined more closely, and with more attention to the source of birds, to determine Kalimantan’s role: Is it mainly for transit (Malaysia to Java), or does it also harbor significant demand? Studies tracking temporal fluctuations in the price and number of birds of each species for sale should also be shared with law enforcement, especially in the case of cross-border trade, because confiscations are much more likely than in the case of wholly domestic trade.

We agree with Eaton et al. (2015) that in situ management is key. Although Borneo has undergone massive deforestation over the past 20 years, Gaveau (2017) estimated that roughly 50% of the island still remains forested. To protect the remaining forests on Kalimantan, conservationists must work with trappers and communities living in protected areas and remaining nonprotected forests in Kalimantan.

We also echo the calls of other conservationists for Indonesia to update the Conservation Act (No. 5) of 1990 (Chng & Eaton, 2016; Chng et al., 2015; Jepson & Ladle, 2005), and in doing so, include the species of concern identified by the ASCS (Lee et al., 2016). Kalimantan and Indonesia must act quickly to strengthen legislation and enforcement or risk the extinction of many iconic species. As implied by our workshop participants who stated that they had never been made aware of legislation affecting the legality of the bird trade, enforcement in Kalimantan is almost nonexistent.

The social and cultural dimensions of the trade probably contribute to its popularity in Kalimantan (Burivalova et al., 2017; Jepson & Ladle, 2005). For example, the transmigrasi program was an initiative started by the Dutch government and later continued under President Sukarno to move landless people from Java to more rural areas in places such as Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Papua. YPI (unpublished data) found that areas that supported Javanese villages tended to have disproportionally high numbers of trappers. One explanation is that non-Javanese ethnic groups in Kalimantan (e.g., Melayu, Madurese, Dayak) now have adopted the Javanese practice of owning birds as a status symbol, which is driving the trade at a national scale within Indonesia. To date, the authors are not aware of any research addressing the social-cultural drivers of demand in Kalimantan, but the system certainly requires study. Furthermore, we call for education and behavior change to combat these cultural drivers of demand. Nongovernmental organizations and law enforcement agencies must work together, ideally under the umbrella of the South East Asian Songbird Trade Working Group, to create regional-scale solutions that address the demand for pet birds.

We cannot recommend captive breeding as a solution for demand in Kalimantan. Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Kalimantan reports that they have issued less than five captive breeding permits in Kalimantan, and all captive breeding operations encountered by YPI had no active breeding operations. They appeared to be simply a front, similar to the breeding operations covered by Nijman and Shepherd (2015). Burivalova et al. (2017) do not address this possibility in their overview of the bird trade in Medan and simply assume that all birds sold as captive-bred are indeed captive-bred. We echo the recommendations of Eaton et al. (2015) that any captive breeding programs should be accompanied by strengthened regulations and oversight, as well as incentives for consumers to purchase captive-bred birds and for sellers to stock them.

Although the wild bird trade within Kalimantan is small compared with the trade on Java and Sumatra, this project confirms that the wild bird trade is of significant size in Kalimantan, and by extrapolation, perhaps other areas of Indonesia. We argue that markets in Kalimantan and other rural provinces could contribute to wild population declines and that market studies must expand their focus beyond Java and Sumatra. Furthermore, we reaffirm that demand in Kalimantan for rare and heavily trapped species, as documented here, combined with demand from Javan markets and total lack of enforcement, raises extreme concern for the persistence of many avian species within Indonesia (Chng & Eaton, 2016; Chng et al., 2015; Jepson & Ladle, 2005).