Straw-headed Bulbul moved to Appendix I of CITES

[Laura Bies]

As of November 25, the Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) has moved from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES. The songbird was initially included in Appendix II in 1997. However, a recent population decline across its range in Southeast Asia resulting from its popularity in the songbird trade, in addition to habitat loss, led to a proposal to transfer it from Appendix II to Appendix I at the 2019 Conference of the Parties. Now that the species is listed as Appendix I, trade in the species will be more closely regulated. In general, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will only issue an import permit for an Appendix I species if (1) the specimens was legally obtained, (2) the trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species, and (3) an import permit has been acquired.

Next month, the CITES Secretariat will host a workshop on songbirds in Bangkok, Thailand to discuss the scale and scope of international songbird trade to consider the management and conservation priorities of songbird taxa involved in such trade. 

You can learn more about the CITES requirements, as well as other requirements for import permitting, in the OC's Import Guide.