- Master birds are used in songbird competitions in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world to “teach” competitors elements of their songs. This trade, largely unknown and under-researched, is pushing some species to the brink of extinction.
- A recent market study investigated the trade in crested jayshrikes, a popular master bird in Indonesia, and discovered rampant trade: This bird was sold openly across the country, despite its protected species status.
- The trade in master birds has driven serious declines of numerous species in the wild, including the Javan green magpie.
- To save these rapidly disappearing birds, the researchers say that stricter law enforcement is urgently needed to shut down illegal markets and stem the trade.
Increasing demand for songbirds is raising the risk of “secondary extinctions” of so-called “master birds” in Southeast Asia, conservationists warn.
While these birds never enter the region’s songbird singing competitions, they have unique qualities to their songs. When caged near songbirds, elements of their calls can be learned, says Vincent Nijman, lead author of research documenting their demise and director of EcoVerde Global Consulting.
They almost act as vocal coaches: Proximity to master birds can improve the songs of contest competitors like the white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus), a bird prized for its melodic voice, increasing their chances of success. Judges evaluate birds in these contests on the duration of their song, rhythm, showmanship and volume.
Researchers surveyed markets across Indonesia from 2011 to 2025, looking for crested jayshrikes (Platylophus galericulatus), a popular master bird. They discovered that they were sold openly at markets in Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali, Lombok and Sulawesi. Their findings were published recently in the journal Integrative Conservation.
An added driver of the demand for master birds is the energy these birds bring. There’s 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.
“It’s the energy transfer from the master bird to the recipient bird that’s important,” he says.
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.
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 Center for Conservation Biology who wasn’t involved in this study.
“Who’s even heard of this bird?” he says. “It’s yet another part of the Asian songbird trade that’s threatening a very long list of species, but one that’s either unknown or has been overlooked.”
Jayshrikes disappearing from the forest
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.
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 IUCN Red List, though it was last assessed in 2019 and included no data on trade. But it’s become clear, Neijman says, that this level of trade is impacting wild populations.
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 — and demand has shifted toward the brown subspecies because of its superior singing abilities.
“When I first went into the forests in Java in the ‘90s, you could hear these crested jayshrikes in many places,” Nijman says. “But now they’re getting more and more rare.”
Bruslund emphasized the seriousness of the situation. “The Javan crested jayshrike is one of those that we’re really worried about, as it’s found in the epicenter of where this trade occurs,” he says. Past research has highlighted trade that’s driving steep declines.
Master birds are used to “train” songbirds that compete in competitions. The brown crested jayshrike’s 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.
Pushing masters to the brink
The crested jayshrike is by no means the only master bird at risk, but “it’s one of those species that we’re seeing an emerging trend in,” says Bruslund, adding that “demand for masters is taking a serious toll on numerous species.” He has historical perspective, as he’s researched the Asian songbird trade for nearly 15 years.
Other popular “songbird teachers” at risk include the gray‐cheeked bulbul (Alophoixus tephrogenys), the melodious brown-cheeked bulbul (A. bres). and two more that are in serious peril: the critically endangered Javan green magpie (Cissa thalassina) and the endangered rufous-fronted laughingthrush (Garrulax rufifrons).
“We’re afraid that the crested jayshrike is en route to going the same way,” Bruslund says.
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 “teachers.” For example, Bruslund notes, “We’re 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.”
Enforcement is lacking
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.
Indonesian officials have taken notice. In 2018 — roughly midway through this market survey study — the government took action. “The Indonesian government realized that these master birds are being hammered by trade, and therefore they included them on the protected species list,” Nijman says.
That offered the researchers a unique opportunity to understand if this government intervention had any effect on the trade in subsequent years.
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.
“We concluded that actually very, very little has changed,” Nijman says. “They’re still being traded.”
There is a pressing need to rein in the trade, Nijman says. “Effective enforcement of existing laws and shutting down the open trade in crested jayshrikes is needed urgently to prevent a secondary extinction.”
In Bruslund’s view, education and interventions targeted at trappers and consumers are also needed.
Economics are always a factor in conservation and offering alternative opportunities — like ecotourism that protects the birds rather than capturing them — are sorely needed. In discussions with trappers across Indonesia, the researchers found that often these birds aren’t their primary source of income.
Meanwhile, local people seemed largely unaware of the impact on bird populations.
“I think education is a way to go on reducing demand and availability,” Bruslund says.
But when it comes to those who are directly involved in the trade, he agrees with Nijman: Stricter enforcement is crucial. “With the buyers and the transporters, we have nearly no luck,” Bruslund says. “It’s all about business. It’s not about birds anymore. It’s pure business.”
Other countries also need to stop buying birds from those that can’t regulate their trade, Shepherd adds. “But 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.”
Nijman plans to conduct similar analysis on the gray‐cheeked 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.
With songbird competitions becoming bigger and more fanciful, with prize money increasing, “that means the pressure on these master birds becomes larger as well,” Nijman says. “It’s like an extinction under the radar. It’s almost collateral.”
Banner image: The endangered Sumatran laughingthrush is another masterbird species threatened by trade. Image by Simon Bruslund
Massive songbird seizure highlights Indonesia’s unrelenting illegal wildlife trade
Citations:
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. Integrative Conservation 0: e70070. doi:10.1002/inc3.70070.
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. Forktail. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c1a9e03f407b482a158da87/t/5c536998971a185e0e5689d5/1548970393141/Trade-driven-extinctions.pdf
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