Rare Javan Green Magpie At Chester Zoo In Extinction Prevention Attempt

The Javan Green magpie is a Critically Endangered bird, bird endemic to West Java and little is known on the biology of this species in the wild, made all the more difficult due to the increasing difficulty in finding wild individuals.

The Javan Green Magpie, along with other critically endangered songbirds, such as the Black-winged Myna and Bali Myna, are commonly trapped by poachers and sold to the cage bird market. Keeping birds in cages is a centuries-long custom in Indonesia. Unfortunately, over the past few years the custom has exploded, and there are literally tens of millions of birds living in tiny cages across the country. Birds naturally require lots of space where they can fly. They do not do well in small cages. Apart from being miserable, their health suffers significantly and they don't live very long.