First Success in rearing a Fatu Hiva Monach ex-situ
MANU and the people of the island of Fatu Hiva celebrates the success of the first Fatu Hiva Monarch chick raised from an egg under human care. The global population of the critically endangered Fatu Hiva Monarch now stands at 18 individuals thanks to the success of the first chick raised in captivity from an […]
Songbird conservation by EAZA members 2020 – 2024
EAZA Members have always had a strong focus on the conservation of songbirds, especially Asian songbirds during the Silent Forest Campaign, but even afterwards support for songbirds in general remains strong. The clear commitment from EAZA members is reflected in the EAZA Conservation Database as shown in the infographic below. To learn more go read […]
Songbirds at CITES CoP20 – our side event
Text by Tomasz Rusek, EAZA Brussels office On 2 December 2025, EAZA proudly co-hosted a side event at the CITES CoP20 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), dedicated to the protection of songbirds, again bringing our long-standing Silent Forest work to the global stage. The event presented case studies from across the world on how international trade is […]
Silent Forest at the CITES CoP20 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Silent Forest Group is represented at the CITES CoP20 in Uzbekistan Advocating for better protection of songbirds in international frameworks CITES is one of the most important avenues. Between November 23rd and December 5th 2025 Silent Forest will work hard to support Brazils proposal for theenclusion of the Endangered Great-billed Seed-finch (Sporophila maximiliani) in CITES […]
Beautiful birds risk trade…
Beautiful birds risk trade: Global study reveals how aesthetics drive wild bird exploitation for trade A new global study finds that the visual beauty of birds – their colours and shapes – predicts which wild species are traded by people. By analysing data for over 9000 bird species, researchers discovered that the birds people find […]
CITES APPENDIX III Matters!
New Songbird Trade related publication in the journal Biological Conservation, October 2025 Global trade in bird species monitored by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) declined significantly in the mid-2000s, a trend previously attributed to the 2005 EU import ban on wild birds. However, during 2005-2007 the […]
Addressing the Growing Threat to New Guinea’s Butcherbirds
Text by Loretta Shepherd/Monitor, Images Simon Bruslund/Silent Forest A recent joint Monitor (Monitor Songbird Lab) study published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research highlights a concerning trend: the rapid emergence of a trade in New Guinea’s butcherbirds (Cracticinae) in Indonesia. The research, conducted jointly with Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, Lincoln Park Zoo, Copenhagen Zoo […]
A new analysis of the trade in songbirds in Bangkok finds trade in physical market declining but online trade is a concern
Text by Chris R. Shepherd and Boyd T. C. Leupen from Monitor All birds native to Thailand are protected under Thai law. However, illegal trade persists. In order to understand current levels of trade and to inform further efforts to end this illegal trade, a study by Monitor, TRAFFIC and the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research […]
New paper on Black-throated Laughingthrush out: global commercialisation, under-reported trade, and the need for increased international regulation of a non-CITES listed songbird
The Black-throated Laughingthrush Pterorhinus chinensis is one of many songbird species impacted by trade. Found in Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, it is sought-after by songbird hobbyists locally and abroad. The number of songbirds negatively affected by unsustainable trade, especially in Asia, continues to grow. Only a few species are protected where […]
Working towards a brighter future for the Crested Jayshrike
Text by Chris R. Shepherd and Boyd T. C. Leupen from the Monitor Conservation Research Society. Both are members of the IUCN SSC Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group and collaborate with the Silent Forest Group on trade research through the shared Monitor Songbird Lab Through the generous funding from the Silent Forest Campaign, Monitor Conservation Research […]