Summary Poisonous birds are rare but on New Guinea, including Indonesia’s easternmost provinces, no less than nine poisonous species, eight pitohuis and one species of ifrita, are found. Pitohuis when handled can cause sneezing with numbness and burning of nasal tissue and nausea in humans. In the bird markets of western Indonesia novelty birds are traded at a premium and overexploitation of popular songbirds leads traders to find replacement species to meet demand. We conducted over 800 surveys in the bird markets of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, and Sulawesi between 1994 and 2023 and from 2015 onwards we assessed the online trade in pitohuis and Blue-capped Ifrit Ifrita kowaldi. We identified the species, recorded their prices and location, and the date when the birds were offered for sale. We analysed temporal trends, volumes, prices, and geographical origin of the sellers. Between 1994 and 2014 we did not encounter a single pitohui in the Indonesian bird markets. In the following years we recorded 113 pitohuis in 12 bird markets and we recorded 199 pitohuis for sale online; 248 were variable pitohuis and 54 were Hooded Pitohui Pitohui dichrous. No ifritas were recorded. Most pitohuis were recorded in eastern Java and Bali. Prices differed between eastern Java (mean of US$93) and western Java and Bali (US$185), possibly suggesting pitohuis arrive from West Papua in eastern Java and from there make their way to the outer markets. Pitohuis are marketed as “Papuan Straw-headed Bulbuls”; the Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus is a very popular and expensive songbird from Southeast Asia, including western Indonesia, that has become rare both in the wild and in the markets due to overexploitation. Discussions about pitohuis on online forums rarely mention “poisonous” but when it is mentioned traders dismiss this as something not to worry about and they claim it to be dietary-dependent. Poisonous pitohuis are novelty, as well as master, birds in Indonesia, where they are marketed for their song ignoring any negative side-effects of them being poisonous. The trade in novelty species, when detected early, does allow for the authorities to intervene in a timely manner to ensure that this trade does not impede their conservation.

Vincent Nijman

Abdullah Abdullah

Ahmad Ardiansyah

Jessica Chavez

Amanda Fairey

Katherine Hedger

Abdullah Langgeng

S. Sunny Nelson

I. Nyoman Aji Duranegara Payuse

Chris R. Shepherd

K. Anne-Isola Nekaris

Bird Conservation International

BIRD CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL 是一份经同行评审的季刊，旨在促进全球范围内的研究和行动，以保护鸟类及其赖以生存的栖息地。 BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL 的官方期刊，它提供了广泛的保护主题的刺激性、国际性和最新的报道，使用鸟类来阐明生物多样性、保护和可持续资源利用等更广泛的问题。它发表原创论文和评论，包括有针对性的文章和领先专家的建议。

Bird Conservation International is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal aimed at promoting research and action worldwide to conserve birds and their habitats. As the official journal of BirdLife International, it provides stimulating, international, and up-to-date reports on a wide range of conservation topics, using birds to illuminate broader issues such as biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable resource use. It publishes original papers and reviews, including targeted articles and recommendations from leading experts.

《Bird Conservation International》是一本经过同行评审的季刊，旨在促进全球范围内的研究和行动，以保护鸟类及其栖息地。作为BirdLife International的官方期刊，它提供了广泛的保护主题的刺激性、国际性和最新的报道，利用鸟类来阐明生物多样性、保护和可持续资源利用等更广泛的问题。期刊发表原创论文和评论，包括有针对性的文章和领先专家的建议。

Category	Quartile
环境科学与生态学	4
环境科学与生态学, 鸟类学	2
环境科学与生态学, 生物多样性保护	3

Poisonous pitohuis as pets

ivySCI AI Smartly Parses PDF, Answers Researchers' Questions, and Helps You Understand Papers in Seconds

Journal Info