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Discovery of a new species of bird usually sends a thrill through the
bird world. But when ornithologists found four specimens of a bishop bird
new to science in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, there was no celebration. The
birds, belonging to the genus Euplectes, were held in a cage ready for export
as pets to Europe or the US. Two of the birds were dead. The other two –
one is the light (yellow) headed bird in the centre – died two days later.

The discovery and demise of the birds is revealed in a report on the
wild bird trade published this week by the Environmental Investigation Agency.
According to the EIA half of wild-caught birds die even before they are
exported and many more die soon afterwards.

‘The discovery of this beautiful and unknown bird in a commercial dealer’s
premises highlights the uncontrolled threats this trade poses to wild populations,’
says Christine Stevens, president of the Animal Welfare Institute, the EIA’s
sister organisation in Washington DC.