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The race to save one of the world's most endangered birds has begun
An international action plan to save a bird species on the brink is now being rolled out
Javan green magpies are so rare that scientists
searching across 12 mountains in Java failed to find a single one
Fewer than 250 may now survive in the world
But conservationists, including experts from Chester Zoo, believe this plan brings new hope for the species
Conservationists are rolling out an emergency rescue plan for a bird so rare that survey teams searching across 12 mountains in Java failed to find a single one.
Chester Zoo has played a central role in developing the plan for the Javan green magpie - a species so close to extinction that fewer than 250 may remain on the planet - and is now working with partners to put it into action.
The plan brings together government, conservation organisations, specialist groups from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and zoos from Indonesia and across the world in a coordinated attempt to pull the species back from the brink.
Bird specialists from Chester Zoo were among 48 international experts who travelled to Indonesia to help shape it, setting out urgent actions to tackle bird trapping, habitat loss and illegal online trade, while strengthening a conservation breeding programme the zoo helped establish over a decade ago.
Online trade of the species, despite it being legally protected in Indonesia, continues covertly through WhatsApp and Facebook. Chester Zoo currently cares for 12 of the approximately 130 Javan green magpies within the entire global conservation breeding population - birds whose survival in human care may now represent the species' last line of defence.
With the plan now being implemented, Chester Zoo's partners at the Cikananga Wildlife Centre in West Java are working with the Indonesian government to strengthen official backing, while conservationists are already preparing the ground for future reintroductions.
Corinne Bailey, Regional Field Programme Senior Manager for South East Asia at Chester Zoo, said:
“We are now planning the final details of conservation translocations, drawing on conservation breeding of the Javan green magpie, as well as preparing in situ community and poacher engagement to reduce the threat posed by the illegal wild songbird trade.”
The zoo's involvement with the species stretches back to 2012, when it helped establish the first conservation breeding programme at the Cikananga Wildlife Centre, providing funding for new aviaries and expertise in husbandry. In 2015, six pairs were transferred to Chester to establish a further insurance population in Europe.
Andrew Owen, Chester Zoo's Head of Birds, who has led the zoo's involvement with the species since its earliest days and co-authored the plan, said:
“This is a bird that most people have never heard of, and that's part of the problem. The Javan green magpie is running out of time - and running out of places to hide. When survey teams searched across mountain after mountain in Java and found nothing, it brought home just how desperate the situation has become.
“Chester Zoo has been fighting for this species for over a decade. We helped build the breeding programme that now holds almost every individual known to exist. But while conservation breeding buys time, it isn't a solution on its own. This new action plan is about giving the species a future in the wild. That's what drives us.”
The action plan - developed at a four-day workshop in Java in late 2025 - sets out more than 80 actions to be implemented over the next ten years. These range from targeting illegal online trade networks and working with mountain hiking communities, to expanding the coordinated breeding programme and developing plans for the eventual reintroduction of birds bred in human care into protected wild habitats.
The plan also highlights the species' cultural significance in Indonesia, where it is known as the Ekek Geling - a name derived from the Sundanese community's description of its distinctive call. Historically prized for its song, the bird became caught up in Indonesia's competitive songbird trade, which experts believe has driven it to the very edge of extinction.
Chester Zoo and its partners are now calling for urgent international support - financial and practical - to implement the plan's recommendations before it is too late.
The Conservation Action Plan for the Javan Green Magpie (2026–2035) was developed at a workshop held in late 2025 at IPB Bogor Convention Centre, Indonesia. It was jointly organised by the IUCN SSC Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group, the IUCN SSC Indonesia Species Specialist Group, and facilitated by the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group, with support from the EAZA Silent Forest Campaign.
Chester Zoo is a world-leading conservation and education charity committed to preventing extinction. Its 130-acre site in Chester is home to more than 500 threatened species. As a not-for-profit, the zoo channels everything into its conservation mission in the UK and around the world, working with more than 3,000 species globally across more than 20 countries.
Rare cotton-top tamarin monkey born at Chester Zoo
Tiny baby primate spotted clinging onto mum at Chester Zoo
Zoo conservationists are “overjoyed” as the new arrival will play a vital role in the survival of the species
Miniature monkey is one of the world’s most endangered primates with only 2,000 left in the wild from habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade
One of the world’s most endangered primates has been born at Chester Zoo.
The rare baby cotton-top tamarin monkey arrived to first time parents Treat (3) and Leo (5), measuring just 10cm from head to tail and weighing a mere 40g.
Conservationists at the zoo say they are “overjoyed” at the birth, with cotton-top tamarins listed as critically endangered on the International Union of Conservation and Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. It’s estimated that just 2,000 breeding animals remain in the wild - tamarins have already undergone a large reduction in their numbers and are predicted to decline by 80% in the next 20 years, making them one of rarest of all primate species.
The mini monkeys are native to a small area in northern Colombia but, sadly, only 5% of their original habitat now remains intact due to mass deforestation, while the illegal wildlife trade is another significant threat to their survival.
Conservationists at Chester Zoo are part of a coordinated international effort, involving the world’s leading zoos, which is aiming to save the species from extinction.
Nick Davis, Deputy Curator of Mammals at the zoo, said:
“The cotton-top tamarin is an exquisite animal but sadly it’s one of the most endangered primate species on the planet.
“It’s a highly threatened species because its wild habitat has been destroyed by commercial logging for the agriculture, paper and timber industries, and these miniature monkeys are also regularly found in the illegal wildlife trade. It wasn’t that long ago that these miniature primates were seen as quite a common species, so their dramatic demise over the last few years shows just how a species thought to be safe can change so rapidly.
“Cotton-top tamarins have an iconic look with their voluminous plume of white fur on the tops of their head. This crest of hair raises up when then they get excited, or feel that they need to warn off danger, making them look bigger and more intimidating. It’s these distinctive looks that tends to draw poachers to them.
“Due to their complex social and environmental needs, cotton-top tamarins should never be kept as pets. They’re highly intelligent animals that can live for around 25 years when safe in zoos.”
Cotton-top tamarins live in extended family groups of around eight individuals in which a dominant female suppresses the fertility of the other females in the group. When a group grows too large, a pair will then head off to start their own group.
At the zoo, primate experts say new parents Treat and Leo have settled straight into family life.
Siobhan Ward, Primate Keeper at Chester Zoo, added:
“We strongly suspected that Treat was pregnant from our regular monitoring of her weight and seeing her belly swell, but it was a fantastic surprise nonetheless to see a tiny little ball of fluff clinging onto her back one morning.
“The little one weighs just 40g and is around 10cm tall from head to tail, so it’s a little too tiny and a bit early on to determine its gender at the moment. The baby will be carried around by both parents for around the next six months – but it’s actually dad who’s been doing most of the carrying so far, passing it to mum for feeds while he stays protectively close by. Both Treat and Leo have taken to parenthood brilliantly.
“In order to help save the species we only recently started caring them at the zoo again and so this is the first cotton-top tamarin to be born at Chester Zoo in 22 years and we’re completely overjoyed. It’s incredibly special to be able to see the little one so soon after its birth and after opening its eyes for the first time to take in the world.”
Cotton-top tamarins are pregnant for around five months and use more than 38 different calls to communicate to one another, defend their territory, call their young and warn the group of predators. To find out more, visit www.chesterzoo.org
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