Numbers of endangered bulbuls show slight rebound on Pulau Ubin

Neo Chai Chin


Published: 9:50 PM, February 23, 2017

SINGAPORE — While their counterparts in the region have been hunted relentlessly for the caged-bird trade, at least 202 Straw-headed bulbuls have found a safe home in Singapore and have grown in numbers on Pulau Ubin.

The population of the endangered songbird species on the island grew at nearly 4 per cent per year over the past 15 years to at least 110, while numbers on the mainland have held steady.

These findings by six Singaporean birdwatchers were published recently in the journal Bird Conservation International.

The bird’s conservation status was raised last December from “vulnerable” to “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which classifies species at high risk of global extinction.

With the global population of the bird estimated at 600 to 1,700 individuals, the group in Singapore may easily comprise up to one-third of the world’s remaining wild Straw-headed bulbuls.

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Straw-headed bulbuls find a safe haven in Singapore

Dec 10, 2016, 5:00 am SGT

Plunge in numbers worldwide but songbird now classified as endangered thrives here

Janice Heng

Singapore is one of the remaining havens for a rare songbird now classified as endangered worldwide, according to wildlife experts.

There are only an estimated 600 to 1,700 straw-headed bulbuls left in the wild. Singapore is thought to have at least 200 - and counting.

The bird's conservation status was raised from "vulnerable" to "endangered" on the latest edition of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, released on Thursday.

Illegal wildlife trade has caused several species to move up to higher threat categories.

"There is now evidence that unsustainable levels of capture for the cagebird trade, largely centred on Java, are driving the deteriorating status of many species," said IUCN .

But in Singapore, the straw-headed bulbul seems to be doing better.

Creatures under threat in Singapore

Singapore is home to over 200 species of animals considered globally threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

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