The trade in Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush Garrulax rufifrons in Java, Indonesia

The Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush Garrulax rufifrons shares the western part of the island of Java, Indonesia, with close to 100 million people. Historically it has been recorded from 15 mountains but post-2000 records all come from two of them (Gn Gede-Pangrango and Gn Slamet). Illegal trade for the cage-bird market is considered to be the main threat to the species; it is currently listed as Critically Endangered. Despite trade being the main threat, well-documented records of birds for sale and associated price data are scarce. Based on 174 surveys of 11 Javan bird markets (August 2016 to February 2020), we here report on the trade (volume, price developments and temporal patterns) in Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush. The species was recorded in 21% of the surveys, with a total of 61 birds (all adult-sized); in addition, we found seven birds offered for sale on online platforms. Prices were relatively low at ~US$69 and these prices differed geographically. We found no temporal changes in numbers or prices. We assessed that birds were sold on average within two weeks after arriving at the bird market and based on this we estimate that overall some 90 Rufous-fronted Laughingthrushes are sold in these markets annually. Our surveys raise the possibility that the species persists on other mountains in western Java and underscores the value of bird market surveys in gaining insight into how trade affects the conservation of imperilled bird species.