The option of selling online, and next-day deliveries, have made available specialized consumer markets that were previously not large enough to be profitable. This includes threatened wildlife offered for sale as exotic or novelty pets. The pink-headed fruit dove Ptilinopus porphyreus is endemic to montane forests on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali. It is categorized as Least Concern (decreasing population) on the IUCN Red List. Seldom seen—the species is shy, silent and inconspicuous (although colourful, especially males), so amongst foliage in tall trees it is difficult to detect—and we have limited information on the species’ conservation needs or of any specific threats.
Trade has not hitherto been considered a threat to the species. During 1978–2003 Van Balen & Nijman (Bird Conservation International, 2004, 14, 139–152) observed a total of eight individuals for sale in Denpasar, Bali, in 1989, 1993 and 2003. During 2012–2020 our team observed nine in 2018 (in Denpasar and Jakarta) and one in 2019 (Bandung). I have not found any other records of the species in trade.
On 2 January 2022 I searched four dedicated fruit-dove (punai) Facebook pages and three online platforms (Tokopedia, Shopee, Bukalapak) for the sale of pink-headed fruit doves (search terms walik ungu and punai ungu). On Facebook I found seven traders (two in Denpasar, and one each in Jakarta, Surakarta, Kediri, Jember and Pemogas) with a total of 33 birds for sale. No prices were given, and prospective buyers were directed to contact sellers via instant messaging services. On the online platforms I found adverts from five traders in Jakarta, Kediri, Ngawi and Surabaya, with at least 23 birds available. On average online traders had slightly more birds on offer than traders in traditional markets (4.0 ± SD 3.4 vs 2.6 ± SD 1.3). I saw only adult-sized birds, and all must have been taken from the wild. Prices were USD 19.71 ± SD 3.72 for single birds (16 quotes) and USD 105.19 ± SD 49.58 for established pairs (two quotes). Online traders specify that payments will only be accepted via RekBer (an abbreviation for rekening bersama; i.e. the bank account of a trusted third party). Sellers and buyers do not have to meet in person, payments can be processed online, and birds are shipped directly to the buyer's address using motorcycle taxis for short distances, and trains and domestic planes for buyers in more distant locations. In the absence of harvest quotas, this trade is illegal and violates the terms and conditions of these online platforms.
That a 1-day online search for pink-headed fruit doves for sale resulted in evidence of 56 birds, three times the number recorded in physical bird markets over the last 4 decades, is disconcerting. It also demonstrates that even inconspicuous birds—which in the past would have been overlooked—are now traded in sufficient numbers that this could impact wild populations.
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