Javan green magpie

This brightly coloured songbird is one of Indonesia’s most beautiful, but also most endangered and their numbers are rapidly decreasing. The Javan green magpie has a stunning and distinctive apple green plumage, but is born with blue plumage.

Javan Green Magpies are endangered because of the illegal wildlife trade. Their unique song and striking plumage makes them a highly sought-after species in the songbird trade, and illegal trapping has caused wild population numbers to plummet.

We've been involved in conserving the species since 2012, helping to establish a conservation breeding programme at the Cikananga Wildlife Centre. In 2015, six pairs were transferred to Chester so we could establish a further insurance population in Europe.

An international action plan to save Javan green magpies from the brink of extinction was rolled out in 2026, with input from 48 international experts including Chester Zoo.